CARDIGAN athlete Mike Kallenberg has been the driving force behind a successful attempt to set a new 100 x 10km Guinness World Record for track running.

A team of 100 Royal Air Force personnel took part in the world record attempt, marking the 100th anniversary of the RAF.

The existing record was annihilated by some four and a half hours, at an average time of 38:48 per 10km for all 100 legs.

It was a mammoth effort from the 100 RAF men and women, who each ran 10k, one after the other in a relay format, over a time of 64 hours, 36 minutes and 22 seconds, covering 621.4 miles.

Their effort beat the previous record, of 69 hours, 6 minutes and 52 seconds, which had stood since 2015, with some four and a half hours to spare at RAF Cosford.

For three and a half days a succession of Forces’ runners kept the baton moving across the Cosford track, with many having travelled hundreds of miles to take part in the ambitious record attempt.

The mettle of the runners was seriously tested during the darker hours, with meticulous record-keeping vital to supply the evidence that was to ratify the record.

Having coordinated the attempt from start to finish, it was fitting that Kallenberg ran the last leg to successfully break the record at around 5am, in a great personal time of 33.58.He said: “I am ecstatic, this has taken months of planning, but it has been a real team effort, and I am so grateful for all the support shown.”

Kallenberg said it was always his dream to join the RAF, having been a former Royal Air Force Air Cadet. He is a Flight Operations Assistant with Trade Group 9.