22 June 2012, 2:29pm

Booth and Hatley depart to compete in Yukon River Quest for Help for Heroes

Bath Rugby's 1st Team Coach Toby Booth and Forwards Coach Neal Hatley, head off to Canada from Heathrow Airport today to take on the gruelling 715km Yukon River Quest for Help for Heroes.

Joining forces with a team from Interserve, the international support services and construction group, they are hoping to raise a significant amount of money for the charity in the coming weeks.

After taking part in warm up challenges over the next few days, the team will be pushed to their limits as they start the Yukon River Quest. They will be joining athletes from all over the world who enter to test their endurance and will race day and night for four days along 715km/440 miles of rugged and treacherous waterways in the most spectacular paddling race in the world, also known as the "Race to the Midnight Sun".

With most of the team having never canoed before, serious preparation and training has been undertaken, particularly as they face a 27 hour straight paddle on their first day. They will compete in a six man voyageur war canoe, similar to that used by Canada's first nation.

Toby Booth said: "This is an opportunity to compete in a once in a lifetime event for charity and we are proud to be supporting Help for Heroes. The challenge we face on the Yukon River pales into insignificance when you consider the challenges faced each day by injured servicemen and so if we can even help make a small difference then it will all be worth it.

"We would really appreciate it if everyone could get behind us and help us to raise as much money as possible."

The 14th Annual Yukon River Quest starts to the east of Alaska on the 27th June 2012 in Whitehorse and ends on the 30th June, just below the Arctic Circle, at Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.

If you'd like to sponsor the team then you can donate in two ways, either:

Text YUKN99£ including the amount you want to donate (e.g. YUKN99£5) to 70070.
or
donate online here

To keep up with the boys progress follow @NealHatley1 and @justinbishop14 on Twitter. Or follow the daily blog here.