A PARATROOPER serving in Afghanistan has completed a remarkable endurance marathon at his base in the Helmand Province.

Lance Corporal Robert Fisher, 39, who is serving with The 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in Shahzad, ran around the base 26 times in his body armour while carrying a general purpose machine gun.

He raised more than £1,200 after completing the 26 miles.

Robert, who lives in Chorley with wife Jenny, said: “I thought it would be something different but it was one of the hardest things I’ve done.”

It took him just over seven hours to complete the gruelling run.

He said: “Marathons I’ve done in the past carrying weight have been tough, but this was a lot of harder.

“I was hoping to do it in under six hours, but I started cramping up at around 19 miles.

“For the last six miles, it was mind over matter. For me, it’s worth the pain, it’s worth the fatigue.”

The money will be split between the Afghanistan Trust and the NSPCC.

“I try to do a marathon every year for charity,” he said. “I try to put my fitness to good use.”

When he’s not running marathons, Robert serves as a Physical Training Instructor, making sure his fellow soldiers stay fit.

Robert is due to return home to Chorley in late April after a six month tour of duty in the Helmand Province.