Salisbury man breaks blindfolded running world record

Alex Bance wore a blindfold and noise cancelling headphones for his entire run

A Wiltshire man has broken the world record for distance running while blindfolded.

Alex Bance, from Salisbury, ran 72 miles (116km) around a track while wearing noise-cancelling headphones.

He completed the feat to raise money for Julia's House Children's Hospice, which cares for deafblind children and others with life-limiting conditions.

"So many people said I wouldn't be able to do it," so that was a motivating factor, he said.

The previous blindfold running record was 50 miles.

"I was out on a run and I thought 'what can I do to get people paying the charity?'" he said.

Mr Bance guided himself around the track using garden wire hung on posts around the track.

He has beaten his target of £1,500 by raising £2,440 so far.

Alex had only completed one run under these conditions before

Although he is an experienced runner, Mr Bance had only tried running once before with a blindfold and headphones on.

"An hour felt like 40 minutes so I wanted to leave it on a high," he said.

"When you do this you think about every life choice you've made, every decision you've done.

"It's two years of counselling in 24 hours," he added.

Alice Chalmers from Julia's House said the charity was "grateful" for his fundraising efforts.

"He has done running events for us before but I know he needed more of a challenge and we're pleased he's done it.

"This will make a huge difference and it means we can continue to help families and children in the community," she said.