Weather against Ex-Royal Marine in Mad Dog 10k world record attempt

Military Speaker, Andy Grant, Mad Dog 10K world record attempt blown away!

AN amputee and former Royal Marine had hopes of setting a new world record on Sunday - but was beaten by the wind.

Andy Grant, 25, from Orrell Park, was injured by a roadside bomb while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009 with 45 Commando.

In the same week that marked five years since the blast, the dad-of-two had hoped to beat the record for the fastest 10k run by a single amputee.

The current time that Andy had to beat is 37 minutes 55 seconds - he would have had to take five minutes off his personal best to top it.

Talking to the Visiter, he said: "The weather was just against me. I did not even beat my personal best. Despite all the training, it was just not enough on the day.

"I am really gutted, but when I look at the results, only two people got the time that I needed to get to beat the record. It just shows how difficult it was for everyone."

Andy was also aiming to raise £3,500 for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund to mark the 350th birthday of the force.

He added: "I actually raised well over my target - so far I am at £4,150 which is just brilliant. Having all my family and friends there was also great."

Andy said he is going to keep up on the training, adding: "It won't be long until I get the world record."

He added: "I just want to say thank you for all the support. Over 90% of the donations came from people I didn't know, and it is really humbling that so many were behind me."