THE son of a former soldier has today finished the last leg of a Guinness world-record breaking challenge to complete 66 consecutive ultra marathons in 66-days in York.

North Yorkshire-based businessman Andy McMenemy began Challenge66 on March 16. It is an attempt to run 66 ultra marathons in 66 days, one in each of the 66 official cities in the United Kingdom.

By undertaking this feat Andy has challenged the official Guinness World Record which currently rests at 52.

An “ultra-marathon” is 50km or 31.7miles – 5.5miles longer than a conventional 26-mile marathon.

The excruciating tests of endurance are designed to generate £1 million for ABF The Soldiers Fund, a charity, celebrating its 66 year anniversary, which offers support to soldiers and veterans, as well as their families.

Choosing which charity to support was an easy decision for Andy.

His father was a member of the armed forces and in his later years, while suffering from cancer, was supported by ABF The Soldiers Fund.

Having battled through injury, the elements and both physical and mental fatigue, Andy, of Harrogate, ran his final ultra marathon in York today. He crossed the finish line jst aftre 4.20pm in a time of six hours, 15 minutes and 12 seconds.

Making the sacrifice to train for such an epic challenge meant he spent time away from family members for more than two months before he began his challenge to get his body ready for running 50km every single day.

Andy’s has not been without its difficulties. He had problems with his achilles tendon in the initial phase on his challenge and then on Day 27 he suffered from severe inflammation of part of his shin.

He said: “I spent 10hr 57min fighting with everything I had to stay in the struggle.

“The pain was immense. So much so that I had to phone the Guinness World Records to explain that I needed to visit A&E for medical attention, but was told that I could not use crutches or any artificial aid to complete the run.’’ Thankfully, the pain gradually subsided and he got back to form until he hit Northern Ireland where he suffered from acute back pain. Fortunately an osteopath worked magic and he was back to running fitness.

To support Andy further, you can send a donation online at Challenge66 or you can send a cheque to “Challenge66” to Project Office, Challenge66, 104 Station Parade, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 1HQ.