TWO Oxford friends are nursing dozens of blisters after walking 100km through the Yorkshire Dales in under 24 hours.

Duncan Rourke, 38, from Jericho, and Sam Barratt, 34, pictured in blue, from Wolvercote, were taking part in Trailtrekker, organised by Oxfam.

The pair, who were sponsored by Waterstock Golf Course, Ultimate Golf, Marks & Spencer in Summertown and North Oxford Golf Club, finished in 23 hours 54 minutes. Mr Barratt, a media coordinator at Oxfam’s headquarters in Oxford, said their team-of-four — called Trudgers — finished 18th out of 160.

He said: “We have at least 10 blisters on each foot and three knee injuries between us.

“After 18 hours it was like walking on glass, but we refused to be overtaken until the death, when two teams piled past.

“It was incredible walking through the night in 26C heat — the landscape was stunning. We have raised more than £4,000.”

Mr Rourke, a doctor in Burford, added: “It was an amazing event which I’ll never forget.”

Some 25 staff at Oxfam in Oxford took part. The winning team — called Sydney S.T.A.R.S. — finished in 13 hours 26 minutes. A fifth of competitors pulled out before the finishing line.