Veteran to run 1km for each lost comrade

AN ARMY veteran who served in Afghanistan is to run one kilometre for every British soldier killed in conflict in the war torn nation.

Andreas Beirne, 29, is aiming to complete the

456km (284 mile) challenge with a

13kg barrel strapped to his back in just seven days.

The former Army trainer, pictured, will take on the Big Barrel Run at next year’s London Marathon, running 40 miles each day.

He aims to finish his gruelling effort at his home town of Salisbury, Wiltshire. He aims to raise £20,000 for the veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress, which offers free support for a range of mental health conditions including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety.

Around one in 25 veterans suffer from PTSD.

He said: “I am under no illusion of the enormity of the challenge I have set myself. “I have seen first hand the impact the Afghan war has had on my friends who struggle every day to leave their experiences behind.

“If people are able to donate to support the work of this brilliant charity it would mean so much to me.”

He served with the Royal Logistics Corps and Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistics for seven years, seeing conflict in Afghanistan as well as working in the Falkland Islands.

A total of 456 service men and women lost their lives in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.