AMERICAN footballers from Burnley are set to don their helmets and shoulder pads for a gruelling 10km charity run.

Twenty members of Burnley Tornados senior squad are taking on the Gut Buster Challenge to raise money for the club and Pendle Dogs in Need.

The challenge will start at the Prairie, on Windermere Avenue, Burnley, and the route will go through Brierfield, Nelson and Barrowford on August 25.

The team will stop for a rest at Bargain Booze in Barrowford - where staff will provide them with much-need refreshments, and finish at Holt House in Colne.

They are expecting quite a few spectators, as the Blues Festival will be taking place in Colne at the same time.

Mike Culshaw, team manager of the senior squad said: “It’s going to be one hell of a challenge.

"A 10.3k run is not easy to do anyway, never mind in full kit.

“It’s a very gruelling challenge and they’ve been training for it for the past month, for three and a half hours on a Saturday and two hours on a Tuesday.

“If the weather is hot it will make it extremely more difficult, the gear itself weights about 40lbs and then you’re sweating, which makes it even more heavy.

“Even in winter it’s hot to wear, but we’re doing the challenge in the peak of summer.”

The senior squad has only been going for nine weeks, but the team are already aiming for association accreditation next April.

They hope to match the success of the junior squad, who have been playing together for several years, and are currently in the play offs for the Britbowl - the UK equivalent of the US Superbowl.

Mike said: “At the Tornados, we are highly committed to helping our community in every way we can. Pendle Dogs in Need do some fantastic work, they really do, and they need all the help they can get.”

To sponsor the team visit: http://www.tornadosafc.com/fr01.html.