'Extreme' adventures await army veteran brothers

Garry and Alan Fortuin will take on separate challenges at the same time

Two army veteran brothers are set to take on extreme challenges at the same time, one climbing the highest mountain in the Americas while the other is rowing the Atlantic.

Garry and Alan Fortuin are taking part in separate challenges in a bid to test their mettle in their 60s.

Alan, 66, will cross the Atlantic as part of the World's Toughest Row race while his brother, 63, will be part of a team of Falklands War veterans who will climb Aconcagua in Argentina.

The pair, who grew up in Leicester, said the adventures would be the "most extreme" challenges they had ever been on.

Alan hopes to solo-row the Atlantic within 60 days

Alan will be the first brother to set off on his adventures, flying out to the Canary Islands on Saturday, before setting off on his trip on 12 December.

He hopes to arrive in Antigua within 60 days, meaning he will spend Christmas at sea.

"I saw an article where a gentleman called Frank Rothwell rowed the Atlantic solo at the age of 70 and I thought if Frank can do it at 70, I can do it now at 66," he said.

"I've been training for it for five years.

"It's been a long time in the making, so I'm looking forward to getting started now."

While his brother is at sea, Garry, who lives in Barrow-upon-Soar, will be part of a team of British and Argentinian veterans, all of whom fought in the Falklands War.

The team is hoping climb Aconcagua over 16 days in January, supported by charity Climb 2 Recovery, which provides long-term support to veterans through climbing and mountaineering.

The summit of the mountain is 6,967m (22,858ft) above sea level.

"I was sitting at home thinking to myself, I've just turned 60 and I need a challenge," he said.

"And then something popped up looking for volunteers to go to Argentina to walk up a hill.

"I thought to myself, I've walked to Bradgate Park, I've gone up Old John many a time.

"It's only when I researched into it, I realised it was 7,000 metres we're going up and it's one of the hardest peaks in the world to walk up."

Aconcagua is the tallest mountain outside of Asia

The brothers said they had no plans to contact each other while on their respective adventures.

Alan, who now lives near Manchester, said: "We're both going to have our own challenges, mine will be the ocean and Garry's will be the mountain.

"They can both destroy you, so we won't have much time to think about each other.

"I don't think we're competitive at all.

"We both have our own achievements, both in the army and afterwards. It's a mutual respect."

While Garry's trip will be funded by charities, Alan has had to fund the Atlantic trip himself.

"The financial side of this has nearly crippled me because I'm doing it solo," he said.

"So one of the biggest struggles I've had to face is getting corporate sponsorship."

Alan has also raised £7,500 for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association as part of the challenge.