Sticks Pass, scene of the incident. Photo: Mick Garratt CC-BY-SA-2.0

Rescuers were called out to help a hypothermic contestant in a charity challenge.

The man was taking part in Race the Sun, which involves teams of four cycling, running and canoeing on a course in the Lake District.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was alerted to the incident by police at 12.20pm today, Saturday, when the man was reported to be mildly hypothermic at the top of the Sticks Pass, north of Helvellyn.

A spokesperson for the volunteer team said: “The team collected information from the event control point at Legburthwaite, and set off up the pass with the necessary equipment.

“Approximately a third of the way up, members were informed that an air ambulance was attending the incident.

“The team continued until word was received that the aircraft had successfully collected the casualty, and flown him down to the event control.

“At that point, the team stood down, and returned to base.”

A total of 18 Keswick MRT members were involved in the incident, with seven actually making their way on to the fell. It was their 74th callout of the year.

Race the Sun has been run for 10 years by the charity Action Medical Research, and starts at sunrise with teams attempting to finish before the sun sets.

It involves an 80km (50-mile) cycle, a hike to the top of England’s third highest mountain 950m (3,117ft) Helvellyn and a 4km (2½-mile) canoe leg on Thirlmere.

The UK’s civilian mountain rescue teams are themselves charities, as are most of the air ambulances.