Charity world record attempt canceled due to potholes

A man who survived a bungee jumping accident stopped his world record attempt after pulling a 1.5 tonne truck for nine hours.

Mike Land, from Swindon, pulled the vehicle for 13 km (10.5 miles) but had to cover 51.5 km (32 miles) on flat ground in 24 hours.

He started the attempt at Down Ampney airfield on October 4th but had to abandon it on Saturday when the potholes on the airfield became too difficult.

Mr Land, who raises money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, said he would look for a new venue to try again.

Doctors feared Mr Land would never fully recover when he fractured his pelvis after breaking his bungee jump rope in 1993, but he has since overcome numerous challenges and works as a fitness trainer and designer.

He has been training for the world record attempt for months and had hoped to tackle the van pull sooner, but found it difficult to find a suitable venue.

To qualify, the site must be level, have a 1:1 slope, and have some public access. In addition, the former RAF base Down Ampney met the criteria set by Guinness World Records.

But after nine hours of pulling the van, he said: “The bumps and dents overwhelmed me – even though I got down on my hands and knees to pull it out of a few potholes, I just couldn’t hold it.”

“I feel great that I’ve come this far.”

However, this is not the end as Mr Land will be looking for a flatter venue and will be in “discussions” with companies that may be able to help.

He is keeping his fundraising page updated to keep up to date with his progress and has already reached more than £11,000 of his £12,000 target, which is the daily cost of running the Wiltshire Air Ambulance service.