Meet the man who has spent the last year taking on Europe's most gruelling sporting challenges - including scaling Mont Blanc.

Jack Harrison, 27, started his quest in June last year - which has seen him journey from his home in York across the mainland continent.

He simply searched on Google for 'The UK's toughest races' or 'The world's toughest races' - and settled on climbing the 15,780ft Mont Blanc.

And after completing that task he realised then he had developed a taste for the extreme - so spent the next year trying others.

Since tackling Mont Blanc Jack has also been to the Artic Circle and done cross-country skiing in Sweden - as well as taking on a number of UK challenges.

The helicopter engineer, has used his own income to fund the trips.

Jack said: "Looking back, it's amazing I managed to pull everything off - in terms of getting the right kit, qualifying for races, securing a spot, avoiding injuries, and having no major issues during the races themselves."

His first challenge was Mont Blanc in June 2023, before he was sailed along from Iceland to Greenland - known as the Arctic Circle Expedition.

Jack said: "We navigated past icebergs and faced harsh weather, as is common in Arctic sailing. I earned the title of Blue Nose sailor, an achievement for those who cross this latitude."

September 2023, saw Jack descend down Yorkshire's deepest cave, which is 100m deep.

And four months later, in January 2024, Jack's next challenge ice climbing in Scotland.

He tackled Raeburn's Easy Route on Ben Nevis - the UK's highest peak at 4,413ft.

Jack said: "This route is popular with winter climbers due to its accessibility and relatively moderate difficulty, though it still requires technical skill, especially when ice is involved."

Jack then went to Sweden to complete a gruelling cross-country ski race, covering 90 km from Sälen to Mora.

He said: "Despite minimal training, my two friends and I completed the race, fighting through exhaustion to finish within the cut-off. "

"It was a monumental challenge, especially given our lack of cross-country skiing experience."

Next up for Jack was Race to the Castle, which is the longest river paddle boarding race in the UK - covering 40 km from Nottingham to Newark.

He then swapped a paddleboard for a canoe, taking part in the DW Race - paddling 125 miles from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminster in London.

Up next was the Torq 3-6-9 - a mountain bike race which involved completing as many laps as possible in a nine-hour time limit.

And the last month of challenges was June 2024 - when he completed three.

The challenges included a global fitness test in Italy, a 200 mile road bike race and an 100km ultramarathon.

Now at home resting, Jack has big plans for next year.

He's eyeing up the Strathpuffer 24hr Mountain Bike Race, the Red Bull Nordenskiöldsloppet – a 220 km ski race in Sweden

- and a London-Edinburgh-London cycling race.

Here is the list of the 11 challenges Jack did:
1. Mountaineering (June 2023, France) - Mont Blanc
2. Sailing (August 2023, Iceland/ Greenland) - Arctic Circle expedition
3. Caving (September 2023, Yorkshire dales) - Alum Pot exploration
4. Ice Climbing (January 2024, Scotland) - Raeburns Easy Route
5. XC Skiing (February 2024, Sweden) - Vasaloppet (90 km)
6. Paddleboarding (April 2024, Nottingham) - Race to the Castle
7. Kayaking (April 2024, London) - DW Canoe Race (125 miles)
8. Mountain Biking (May 2024, Camberley) – TORQ3-6-9 (9 hour race)
9. Hyrox (June 2024, Italy) - Hyrox Pro Rimini
10. Road Cycling (June 2024, Norfolk) - Round Norfolk Epic (200 miles)
11. Running (June 2024, Chichester) - Race to the King Ultramarathon (100 km)