Firefighters and fundraisers blaze a trail as thousands take to the streets for marathon

Weighed down with all his gear, Alex O’Shea blazed a trail into the book of Guinness World Records, shaving a massive 58 minutes off the record for running a marathon in full firefighting apparel.

Wearing steel-toed reinforced boots, fire-retardant pants and jacket, as well as his 3lb helmet and visor Alex completed the Cork City Marathon in a time of 3 hours, 41 minutes and 10 seconds, destroying the previous record in London earlier this year.

He raised money for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and his local Ballineen Enniskeane District Association’s playground development fund.