World record ladder climb attempt by Manx firemen
- Published
Ten firefighters in the Isle of Man have started a world attempt for climbing the furthest distance up a ladder in 24-hours.
The current record is held by firefighters in New Zealand who managed to climb 109.59km (68.1 miles) in Auckland in 2005.
Gary Kirby said: "Everyone has been training hard and we are feeling confident about setting a new record."
Members of the Isle of Man fire and rescue service held the record in 1998.
The men have been training three to four times a week for the past four months outside the old prison on Victoria Road.
Mr Kirby said: "The lads were training extremely hard, it's been like a scene out of Rocky."
"They will have to climb the 15m ladder at least 46 times a minute for 24-hours to reach the target.
"It's the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building every 58 minutes.
"Whichever way you look at it, it is a serious challenge and we really hope people will come down and cheer the team on."
The firemen will also be raising thousands of pounds for several local charities including the island's Hyperbaric Chamber.