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In May 2026, 82-year-old Manchester-born retired businessman Tony Fahey will attempt a world record endurance challenge at Sale Water Park, as he aims to lead a team of four to “walk on water” continuously for 24 hours to raise vital funds for Make-A-Wish® UK.
Tony commissioned a design engineer to take charge of the project, resulting in the creation of the aqua elliptica – a specially adapted, human-powered watercraft that works in a similar way to a cross trainer, using a forward walking-style elliptical motion to move across the water.
The challenge marks the first in a planned series of water speed and endurance record attempts, all designed to raise as much money as possible to help grant life-changing wishes for children living with critical illness.
Tony’s challenge follows a near-death, life-changing accident in February 2021, when he was struck by a car travelling at 50mph while out on his daily walk. He sustained severe injuries that required emergency surgery and 18 months of intensive rehabilitation. Rather than slowing him down, recovery reignited his ambition, and he now trains five days a week in preparation for his next challenge.
This will not be Tony’s first record attempt. In 1977, he persuaded legendary racing mechanic Leo Villa OBE - chief engineer to Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE and later Donald Campbell CBE, and a key figure behind their historic land and water speed record efforts - to mentor him. Villa came out of retirement to support Tony’s entry into Formula One powerboat racing where he achieved great success in Grand Prix events, including the famous Paris 6-hour race, competitions in Belgium and races on Lake Windermere.
Within just one year, Villa’s mentoring led to Tony breaking two world records and one British national record:
1977 – Became the R6-category speed World Record holder (remains unbroken today)
1977 – World production-engine powerboat record
1977 – Became the British National water speed record holder
During one of his Windermere runs, Tony also recorded a peak speed of 158mph, highlighting the exceptional performance achieved during the attempts.
With six children and sixteen grandchildren of his own, Tony says supporting Make-A-Wish® UK is deeply personal.
Tony says: “My greatest wish is to raise as much money as possible for the children. This is only the start of what I want to achieve for Make-A-Wish® UK. I plan to take on further challenges over the next couple of years, each one pushing me further than the last!”
Tony’s “Walking on Water” challenge will take place at Sale Water Park, Greater Manchester, on 7th and 8th May 2026, with fundraising already underway.
You can follow Tony's journey on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/tonyfaheyofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/TonyFaheyOfficial/
https://www.tiktok.com/@tonyfaheyofficial
Please support Tony and help grant wishes to children across the UK.