Sledgehammer world record inspired by partner's fits

Taylor says he wanted to raise awareness for functional neurological disorder (FND) with his stunt

An "adventure athlete" hit a tyre with a sledgehammer 30,000 times to raise awareness of his partner's neurological condition.

Taylor Owen Mason completed the challenge with a time of 12 hours, 16 minutes and 30 seconds, beating his previous unofficial world record.

He hopes it will raise awareness for functional neurological disorder (FND).

Partner Katie Roberts experiences stroke-like systems such as seizures, chronic pain and fatigue.

"When I met Katie she told me she had FND, I'd never heard of it before and I didn't really understand," said Taylor, who calls himself an adventure athlete.

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"She always says: 'It's like my brain is a computer, and the software is out of date'.

"One night we had to go to A&E, and they didn't really know what to do with her when we got there. I had to sit on the floor and wrap my legs around her head and make sure she was okay. 

"I felt powerless, like I couldn't do anything but sit there and watch my partner struggle."

Katie was diagnosed a year ago but suspects she has had FND for much longer than that

Taylor, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, said Katie was diagnosed just over a year ago, but had been experiencing seizures for three years and other symptoms for much longer.

"It makes every day really hard for her, she has got such a fire and energy and drive, and gets knocked down every day, but still gets up every day and she inspires me every day," he said.

Katie added: "It's a big challenge, waking up every day not knowing whether I'm going to have enough energy for the day is really hard.

"I feel sometimes as if my independence has been ripped from me no matter how hard I try to not let it get the better of me.

"It's terrifying going out because of the fear of having a seizure, knowing that I won't be able to explain what's wrong with me properly and it's likely that someone will call an ambulance when that's not what's needed."

Taylor said he set the original unofficial record for the task in 2021, hitting a tyre 28,000 times in 16-and-a-half hours.

Taylor says his old trousers show how much weight he has lost since he was a teenager

"My hands were swollen after it, I couldn't put a T-shirt on on my own for about a week," he said.

"For me it's not about my involvement, it's about what I can do to make more people aware of FND, maybe someone who has the symptoms might find out they have the condition, and I really want to try and break down the stigma around it at the same time."

Taylor, pictured aged 16, says he suffered with obesity and mental health issues

There is a world record for the most times a tyre is hit in a minute, but not a day.

Guinness World Records said: "We don't currently monitor a longer version of this record, but it is possible for new record titles to be created."

Taylor said he decided against paying for a Guinness World Records adjudicator because of the cost.

"It's definitely more ambitious than most stuff I've done before," he said.

"I've been on a journey of my own, I grew up morbidly obese, at 16 I used to be 18 stone (252lbs), and had my own mental health issues but, over years of hard work, I've managed get myself to a better place.

"Now I want to try and challenge myself in new ways, and be able to take what I've learned and what's helped me, and try to give back to the world, make it a better place for me and for Katie and for others like her."