A firefighter from Darwen will attempt to set a new 24-hour deadlift world record of 600,000kg to fund rehab for his friend.
Glen Bailey, 42, started strongman training more than 15 years ago and is now gearing up to break the heaviest deadlift in 24 hours which currently stands at 580,220kg – equivalent to the weight of 105 African elephants.
To prepare for the feat of strength on January 7, the dad of three has been training twice a day before and after his demanding on the call job as a firefighter.
Having been a firefighter for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service for two years and an industrial firefighter since 2019, Glen is determined to raise as much money as possible for The Fire Fighters Charity, as well as raising money for his good friend and former colleague Clint Grieves.
In 2020, Clint was left paralysed after falling down the stairs so Glen is determined to raise money for his friend’s rehabilitation.
He said: “It was a lifechanging accident for him but due to the pandemic, rehabilitation services were stopped because of risk of contamination of Covid so his recovery has been slow.
“We used to train together and he’s been a hard working guy all his life so I’m taking on this mammoth challenge to raise some funding to help with his rehabilitation.”
The money raised will also go to The Fire Fighters Charity as Glen wants to help the charity for the support it provides past and present firefighters and their families who have experienced injury and mental trauma.
As well as requiring exceptional physical strength, Glen explained the level of mental resilience needed to prepare for the challenge.
He said: “I enjoy the mental challenge because you’re pushed to your limits doing something like this.
“I decided to do this for personal reasons, issues I went through last year, because it gives me something to focus on.
"I’ve got three kids so I also want to break it to be a good role model to them and my family.
“I want to show them that if you train and work hard and you’re determined you can do anything.”
The event will be taking place at SAS gym in Leyland and will be open to the public for the whole 24 hours.
You can donate to Glen’s JustGiving pages for Clint Grieves here and The Fire Fighters Charity here.
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