A Cork firefighter’s dream to break the Guinness World Record for running the length of Ireland came to an abrupt end yesterday when a knee injury forced the long-distance runner to abandon his mission.

In a bid to break his second world record, Cork fireman Alex O’Shea is gearing up to run the length of Ireland in less than four days.

Meet marathon man Alex O’ Shea from Ballineen, Cork. Alex is not your normal long-distance runner.

It’s a massive task to run a marathon, a half-marathon and even a leg of the relay depending on your fitness.

A record-breaking fireman is turning up the heat for his latest challenge — last year he broke a Guinness World Record running the Cork City Marathon in full firefighting gear and now he wants to break another one, by running the entire length of Ireland in less than four days.