Hereford mechanic looking to break world record

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Friday, 22 June 2018 13:54

Dedication is what you need if you want to be a record-breaker – so said the theme tune to a hit 80s children’s TV programme.

And if that’s the most important ingredient to ensure your name goes down in the history books then Darren Gibbons is on course to do just that.

Darren from Hereford will be attempting to set a new world record for running a Half Marathon while blindfolded this Sunday.

‘I’ve never attempted a world record before but wanted to do one, so I looked through all the records that had been set and this was one I thought I’d quite like to have a go at. It seems like a really great challenge,’ said Darren.

‘I’m really looking forward to it. Training has made me appreciate just how hard it is to run when you can’t see where you’re going. We shouldn’t take our sight for granted.’

The run takes place during the Swansea Half Marathon which organisers have billed as a ‘flat and fast course for all runners’.

Darren is raising money for St Michael’s Hospice in Hereford, a place he knows all about as his mother-in-law died there a few years ago.

Towards the end of last year, he set-up the ‘12 in 12’ challenge group.

Throughout 2018, each of the group’s members is taking part in a dozen runs, usually 10k’s or Half Marathons.

The group is well on the way to smashing its £5,000 target for St Michael’s having already collected almost £4,300.

Darren’s guide runner for the Swansea Half, Christian Mason, is also a member of the 12 in 12 team. Christian has recently completed ‘race to the tower’ where he ran two marathons over two days.

The World Record time for completing a Half Marathon while blindfolded currently stands at two hours exactly.