RUNNING 75 miles in 12 gruelling hours on a treadmill is an ominous challenge at the best of times.

But for Royal Engineer Chrissie Matthews it will be an even tougher test... as he will tackle the marathon in the searing heat of Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old, from Chatteris, is one of four soldiers who are taking part in the run to raise money for Help for Heroes.

The troops, who are all stationed at Camp Bastion, will begin their challenge today. They plan to keep two treadmills running for 24 hours by working in teams.

Chrissie, who is serving on his third tour of Afghanistan, said: “We will be running one hour on, one hour off for the whole 24 hours.

“Each runner is looking at covering 120km, which is about 75 miles.”

Fellow soldiers Mark Herbert, Levi Scarlett and Ben Whitbread will join Chrissie for the challenge.

The team of runners have already raised more than �600 for Help for Heroes in sponsorship.

Chrissie said: “The challenge is going to be far from easy but we are all determined to complete it and raise as much money as possible for this amazing charity.

“I have seen first hand the work that they do to help injured servicemen get their lives back on track after suffering injuries out here.”

To sponsor the soldiers visit their fund-raising page: www.bmycharity.com/24hrbastionrunner1