Father and son from Morpeth complete Arizona Trail Race epic mountain bike adventure

The Arizona Trail Race traverses the complete state of Arizona in the USA, from the Mexican Border to the Utah State Line.

The official distance is 806 miles. James Rothwell, 13 and dad Richard ended up doing 920 miles, due to detours and the need to go off route to resupply, in just over 18 days.

In terrain that was virtually all off road, including a compulsory 21-mile bike carry through the Grand Canyon area, temperatures ranged from 45 degrees in hot desert to minus 10 with snow.

They climbed the equivalent of three times the height of Everest in total and when the trail was not going up, the descents were steep, rocky and technically challenging.

The pair saw few shops on the way, sometimes having to carry food for three days at a time and also finding and filtering water in the desert.

James is the youngest person to have ever completed the route.

Richard Rothwell said: “We finished in 16th place, but a completion is a badge of honour in the endurance cycling world.

“A student at King Edward VI School in Morpeth, James demonstrated amazing resilience and determination.

“Not only was it a huge physical test, James also learned about amazing plant and animal life – as well as gaining real world insights into American life and culture.”