Ipswich firefighters aim for world records in charity half-marathon

The big picture: Crew Manager Paul Shattock and firefighters Grant Whitehead, Ashley Buxton, and George Trott will run 13.1 miles on 22 September wearing heavy firefighting equipment. They aim to raise £10,000 for the Fire Fighters Charity and Cancer Research.

Why it matters: The challenge honours late colleagues and others in the fire service community affected by cancer.

Key details:

• Paul Shattock will run in full protective gear and breathing apparatus in an effort to set a record in a new category.

• Grant Whitehead and George Trott are targeting the record for running in full protective equipment and carrying breathing apparatus (currently 3 hours 10 minutes).

• Ashley Buxton will wear a physical training kit with a breathing apparatus, aiming to beat the current record of 2 hours and 21 minutes.

By the numbers:

• The full fire kit weighs around 45kg

• Fully-charged breathing apparatus weighs about 12kg

What they're saying: Paul Shattock: "It's heavy kit and it's going to be tough but we are doing this not just because we want to raise awareness about the fire service and its charity, but in memory of three much-missed friends plus other colleagues from the firefighting family who have been lost to cancer."

Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection: "Just running the half-marathon under normal conditions is praiseworthy, but to set themselves the challenge they have is fantastic."

The bottom line: The firefighters hope to bring three new world records to Suffolk while raising funds for two important causes.

How to help: Sponsor the firefighters at www.justgiving.com/team/sfrsworldrecord