Former Dons captain Paul Mitchell admits he and four colleagues have taken on the challenge of a lifetime in support of MK Dons SET and Help for Heroes this week.

Mitch, the SET's Community Ambassador, and a team of committed cyclists are almost halfway through their daunting 1,000-mile bike ride for both charities, which started at Land's End on Sunday and finishes at John o'Groats on 15th June.

James Parkinson and John Lloyd from the MK Dons Commercial Team, Darren Oldroyd from the Sport and Education Trust and Dave Pearson from Filmology have also taken up the challenge, commonly known as LEJOG, this week - the quintet already raising over £16,000.

The group have targeted reaching £20,000 by the end of their ride, with the money split evenly between the SET's charitable efforts in the Milton Keynes community and Help for Heroes' magnificent work with wounded members of the British Armed Forces.

It's an incredible challenge to take on, particularly given the lack of cycling experience among many members of the group, but Mitch said only something as daunting as LEJOG would be enough for two such worthwhile causes.

He told mkdons.com: "We knew to do something for the Trust and for Help for Heroes, it couldn't be something small, it needed to be a huge challenge, which is why the five of us decided to do every mile. We're not talking cyclists here either; we're just guys doing normal jobs so the effort everyone's gone to has been phenomenal.

"We all watched the Sport Relief ride earlier this year, which was done in a relay format, and I think it really hit home how much of a challenge this would be. If a guy like David Walliams, who swam the English Channel a couple of years ago, was struggling in that format, what on earth were we taking on?"

The 1000-mile team receive their bikes from Trek.

The answer to that question should just be starting to sink in for the boys as they approach the halfway mark on what is one of Britain's most destructive physical challenges. Burning an average of 7,500 calories-a-day and forced to consume around 10,000, it's a constant battle to survive all manner of conditions, fight off physical exhaustion and fuel the body for the enormous demands being placed on it.

CLICK HERE TO MEET THE 1,000-MILE TEAM

"It's a different type of fitness to what's required in football," Mitch says. "I experienced a few 100-mile rides while training, but to do that every single day for 10 days in a row is a different kind of fitness.

"It's not like training for football where you use short bursts of energy over 90 minutes, it's a constant, prolonged challenge that totally sucks the energy out of you.

"The exhaustion you feel is like nothing I've experienced before, you've just got nothing left. You're struggling to chew your food, to reach out and rehydrate and the mental trauma of facing the same thing the next day is big.

"It's very much a group effort. We've got some riders that are stronger than others, some people that are naturally very fit and some people that will deal with the mental side of it better. We're all going to hit the wall at some point, but we've all got to help pull each other through it. We've trained together for some time now and I hope we'll have a good enough read of each other to know when someone needs lifting."

Helping push the lads through the pain barrier when the going really gets tough, will be the thought of the funds they are raising for two causes Mitch feels extremely passionate about.

Help for Heroes - the Football League's Official 2009/10 Charity Partner.

Since a serious leg break ended his playing career prematurely 18 months ago, the 28-year-old has been the face of the Dons Sport and Education Trust, building relationships in the local community and improving lives through the power of football.

He said: "I was naïve to the work that went on the community before I started working for the Trust. Every player knows their club works with local schools, but having now worked up close to it all you can see that it really enhances people's lives. It's so much more than just football, it's healthy living, it's inclusion, it's education - all aided by the power of football and of Milton Keynes Dons.

"The work undertaken by Help for Heroes has been well-documented and I don't think anyone would argue that the men and women fighting for our country around the world deserve a huge amount of respect and recognition. The challenge we're taking on pales into insignificance when compared to the challenge they face every day, not knowing what danger may lurk around the next corner.

"I lost a good friend of mine when he died in combat and to know that we're doing something to support injured troops and their families makes me very proud. Hopefully we can show people care about those out there putting their lives at stake."

You can keep track of Mitch and Co's daily updates from their challenge as well as donate towards their target at www.1000milesforheroes.com