Man completes 24-hour challenge to flip 100kg tyre

Handout A man pushing a large tyre on a football field.Handout
Farmer said the challenge was to help fundraise for his former school

A man from Surrey says he has completed a "brutal" challenge of flipping over a 100kg (16st) tractor tyre non-stop for 24 hours.

James Farmer says he beat the current record of flipping the trye for 11.21km (6.96 miles) with a 13km effort at Glyn School in Epsom, where he is helping to raise funds for a new sports pavilion.

Starting at midday on Sunday, the former pupil-turned-fitness instructor continued through the night into Monday morning, doing laps around a marked 100m track.

"I'm happy I've done it, but my hands are killing me and my forearms feel like they're going to burst," said the 43-year-old, who is now waiting for verification from Guinness World Records.

"I owe Glyn School a debt of gratitude for providing me with lots of support as a teenager, which helped me build my entire career," he added.

"Twenty-four hours of flipping a 16st tyre is a hard way to say thank you, but if it puts a pavilion on those playing fields it will have been worth it.

"Something like that will improve the facilities here for so many future generations of pupils."

Handout A man in a black sports t-shirt leaning on a fence. There is a large tyre in front of him.Handout
Farmer's efforts were dubbed "extraordinary" by school staff

A former head boy at the school, Farmer told BBC Radio Surrey: "It's been brutal, but lots of people came down and cheered me on throughout the night, which was a big help.

"Now it's all about hitting the fundraising target."

So far, nearly seven thousand pounds of the £20k total has been reached.

Speaking before the attempt, Jo Garrod, headteacher at Glyn School - which celebrates its centenary next year - called Farmer's efforts "extraordinary".

According to Guinness World Records, the current record for the most tractor tyre flips in 24 hours is 11.21km (6.96 miles), which was achieved by Daniel Garner in Nottingham in June 2020.

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