Chris goes beyond call of duty for injured comrades

A ROYAL Marine veteran whose friends and colleagues were maimed in Afghanistan is to undertake a gruelling quadruple marathon for an armed forces charity.

Chris Taylor is aiming to run the West Highland Way in just 24 hours to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

The 29-year-old, who lives in Bonnyrigg, said that seeing his comrades return to their duties after suffering horrific injuries had spurred him on to raise money for the charity.

He said: "My troop was quite lucky, and in comparison the injuries were relatively minor. But afterwards I saw some of my friends who had been injured, as had several in my unit.

"Just seeing how well they coped after losing limbs was such an inspiration.

"They just got on with life and many of them returned to the unit to take on duties other than frontline work.

"I was at a wedding last month and one of my friends who had lost a leg, eye, and part of his nose, chin and several fingers, was there.

"The treatment and recovery they have got has been excellent, and that's why I think it's so important to support the work that Help for Heroes has been doing."

Mr Taylor, who left 45 Commando last September and aims to become an air traffic controller later this year, served during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, before returning for two tours of Afghanistan in 2006-7 and 2008-9.

Several troops in his Arbroath-based unit were severely injured in tours of both war zones.

Mr Taylor said despite the exhaustive special forces training, completing the 97-mile trek in just 24 hours will be a huge challenge.

He hopes to raise at least 2,000 for Help for Heroes, which supports servicemen and woman and their families.

He said: "I last walked it when I was ten years old, and it took five days. Now I'm setting myself the target of 36 hours, but I'm really aiming for under 24 hours as that would be a great result, but it's pretty non-stop.

"Every 20 miles or so I have a checkpoint, so it's like four marathons end to end. During the selection process for 45 Commando we had to run 30 miles, so I never imagined I'd ever do anything like this.

"But saying that, I won't be carrying the 50 or 60lb pack, so that's something.

"I've been running eight miles to work, and just trying to condition my body to run for long periods of time, but I'll be ready when the time comes.

"I'm determined to give something back to the charity that's been supporting so many members of the armed forces."

Bryn Parry, co-founder and CEO of Help for Heroes, said that fundraising challenges such as Mr Taylor's were vital to keeping support for troops going.

He said: "Help for Heroes is all about people doing their bit to raise money to help our boys and girls, and this is a fantastic example of someone literally going the extra miles to raise much-needed funds to help his former colleagues."