Underwater Marathon

Lloyd Scott has just spent 12 days at the bottom of Loch Ness, but he reported no sightings of the lake's legendary loch ness monster.

In what has been billed as the world's first underwater marathon, the British man walked 26 miles along the loch bottom wearing a 1940s diving suit, complete with a 40-pound metal helmet.

The experience - despite frequent rest breaks, was "very cold and very lonely," Scott said on finally emerging at Loch end, near Inverness. "You don't know what's underfoot - sometimes it's mud, silt, rocks or nothing. The air line also kept getting caught and I also had to deal with a build-up of carbon dioxide in the helmet," he said.

It was the first time that Scott, who is known for wearing the suit in land marathons, has used it for its proper purpose. "It's definitely been far more difficult doing it underwater," he said. "I've had to cope with poor visibility, which has at times been nil, I've had to work against the resistance and the pressure of the water."

Scott, from Rainham, east of London, began his journey at Fort Augustus on the opposite end of the loch. A former firefighter and professional soccer player, he spent more than a month training for the marathon, which raised money for children with leukemia.

For decades, people have reported seeing a sea monster in the picturesque lake; the existence of such a creature has never been proven.

The Loch Ness Marathon is an annual monster race held along the famous Scottish loch, Loch Ness. The event is part of the festival of running and attracts 1500 participants for the main event. The marathon supports several charities.

The local counterpart here is the Philippine International Marathon (Pasig Heritage Marathon) which traverses different bridges crossing the Pasig River with an objective to raise fund for the river's rehabilitation. This year's event will be held on November 8, 2009, that will start and finish at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta.

If there will be a challenge to do a Pasig River Underwater Marathon, will you do a Lloyd Scott?