Soldier becomes first person to run marathon in a respirator

Tyler Bury finished the recent London Marathon in six hours and one minute – his task was made massively harder because of the 22-degree heat and 70 per cent humidity on the day.

He stood out as he pounded the streets of the capital with his heavy kit on and wearing the respirator, which is designed to save the lives of troops in the event of a chemical attack but is not designed for running any kind of distance in.

Tyler, who serves with 22 Signal Regiment in Stafford but lives in the Melton area, told the Melton Times: “The spectators were absolutely incredible.

“The crowds were huge the whole way round and they were constantly cheering for the ‘army guy’ or the ‘gas mask man’.

“The energy of the crowd and hearing them cheering me on 100 per cent kept me going until the end.

“I would run around a corner and hear spectators saying ‘that must be so awful’ or ‘how on earth is he doing that in this heat?’.

“It's also important I mention the other runners.

“I definitely wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for them.

“So many people patted me on the back as they ran past or slowed down for a selfie which really made me feel like I was doing something bigger than myself.

“But most of all I'm thankful for all of the runners that checked I was alright in the heat and offered to give me their water or ran last me and poured their water over me to cool me down.

“I was drenched by the end but it stopped me from massively over-heating.”

So far, Tyler has raised around £3,000 for the Royal British Legion from his marathon run – the fundraising aim also helped him get through to the finish in The Mall.

On the challenge, he commented: “I had been training since September and through the winter so running in the mask in that heat is something I hadn't experienced before.

“It led to being incredibly hard to suck in oxygen, with my heart rate being 194bpm at the half-way stage.

“This meant my muscles cramped so much sooner and my body was working much harder than normal to pump the oxygen round the body.

“And I can't forget the boots.

“This was its own challenge, but one i was a bit more prepared for.

“Nonetheless, my feet paid for it – I am currently losing a toenail and finished with a huge blood blister all the way around my toe.”

Tyler was also grateful for the support of his partner, Georgia, on the day – she covered seven miles chasing him around the city to pass on vital energy gels when he needed them.

He added: “The donations have continued to flood in from random strangers, ranging from people who passed me en route to people working on the baggage lorries at the end as they couldn't believe what they were seeing.”

Go to www.2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/tyler-bury if you would like to sponsor Tyler.