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Strapped into a harness attached to a rope and a gleaming 1.5\u2011ton vintage Land Rover, UK \u200barmy veteran Darren Hardy leaned forward, braced himself, grimaced and began to pull.<\/strong><\/p>\n If all goes to plan, Hardy \u200cwill do that for the next 100 hours, hauling the Land Rover 100 km up and down a tarmac runway at Blackbushe Airport, southwest of London, to try to raise awareness and funds for H\u2011ABC, an extremely rare and incurable degenerative brain disease \u2013 and to set a new world record for a vehicle \u200bpull.<\/p>\n The former Royal Engineer is no stranger to extreme feats, but says hauling the red Land Rover more than the \u200bdistance of two marathons up and down an old runway at Blackbushe Airport southwest of London will \u2060be his biggest test yet.<\/p>\n He anticipates he will burn around 50,000 calories over four days and nights, destroy three pairs of \u200btrainers, consume 50 litres of water and boxes of energy gels.<\/p>\n Apart from the brute strength needed, the monotony and sleep deprivation will \u200btest his mental resilience to the limit.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is the struggle,\u201d he told Reuters. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot to look at here, it\u2019s pretty bleak, especially at night time it\u2019s gonna be tough.<\/p>\n \u201cBut part of me sort of thrives in that environment. I feel a bit of self-worth in there, really digging deep \u200band really testing the body and the mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n Among those watching Hardy begin his attempt were his partner Ellie, their daughters Georgia and \u200bJessica, and Ellie\u2019s son George, who will do shifts steering the 1981 prototype Land Rover \u2014 one of two in existence.<\/p>\n Also present was 17\u2011year\u2011old Aggie \u200cCandy\u2011Waters, who \u2060was diagnosed with H\u2011ABC in 2015 and can no longer walk or speak, along with another young sufferer, Frankie Sheridan\u2011Hill.<\/p>\n Hardy aims to raise 100,000 pounds ($133,000) on top of the 120,000 pounds he has already collected for the H\u2011ABC Foundation.<\/p>\n \u201cDarren was really touched by our story,\u201d said Aggie\u2019s mother, Ali. \u201cHe\u2019s incredible \u2014 he\u2019s a machine. Aggie loves Darren but thinks he\u2019s a bit crazy. We\u2019re truly grateful, because with \u200bsuch a rare disease it\u2019s \u200bvery difficult to raise awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n DISCHARGED <\/strong>\u2060FROM ARMY WITH PTSD<\/strong><\/p>\n Hardy was discharged from theUK army in 2017 with complex PTSD following service in Iraq.<\/p>\n He has since taken on what he describes as \u201cinsane\u201d challenges, including five marathons in 50 \u200bhours, 10 triathlons in 10 days, and dragging a 1.5\u2011ton BMW for 47 kilometres.<\/p>\n For this attempt, \u200bhe plans to \u2060survive on no more than 20\u2011minute naps.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to see how far I can go \u2014 something completely outrageous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hardy was briefly forced to adjust his plan on Friday after realising one end of the runway sloped more than expected, prompting him to shorten the course \u2060to flatter \u200bground.<\/p>\n Asked how he would pass the long hours ahead, Hardy said he would \u200bavoid music or podcasts, choosing instead to make video calls with Aggie \u2014 and spend time alone with his thoughts.<\/p>\n For him the pain and isolation are secondary. What \u200bmattered, he said, was creating momentum for families waiting for hope \u2014 one step at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n