Grant Sparkes, aged 42, has broken the world record for the longest distance walked in firefighting equipment and completed a walk of over 80 kilometres.
The gear worn by firefighters is designed to be flame resistant and as a result can be heavy to move in.
During the event Grant completed laps of woodlands field in Pencoed.
“But when I think about the countless hours of training that I’ve put into the past 6 months it’s nice to see my efforts finally paying off.”
The record took a staggering amount of time to break, Grant said: “I walked for the entire 24 hours without stopping from midday Saturday to midday Sunday.
“The only time I did stop was at every 10k interval for 2 minutes to stretch out my legs and back to stop them cramping up.”
Grant’s record attempt was carried out Saturday October 12th since the event he’s managed to raise a total of £2500.
He deliberately chose to carry out the challenge in the colder months to prevent himself from heating up in full firefighting equipment.
Grant explained what it was like in the moment trying to break the record: “Around 4m I hit a mental wall, I started hallucinating thinking I could see my dog walking with me.
“My feet were also in severe pain and my legs had chaffed under my fire kit due to the constant rubbing, I still had 8 hours to go but as the sun started to rise and my family and friends returned to the field to cheer me on, I could see the end in sight.”
“I even had a surprise FaceTime call from my son who is currently overseas working with the Welsh guards. I haven’t seen him in weeks so speaking to him really gave me that extra boost of energy to see it through to the end.”
Grant continued: “It was physically and mentally the hardest thing I have ever done. Walking for that long in that fire kit was just torture on my body.”
