Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

A farmer will be attempting to break a Guinness World Record when he takes on the Newport Half Marathon this spring.

Neil Johnson, 47, from Caerphilly, is aiming to become the fastest person to run a half marathon in a pair of wellies.

He will be taking on the challenge on Sunday April 19 to raise funds for the Farm Community Network (FCN) – a charity supporting farmers and their families going through difficult times.

The father-of-five said: “I’ve done a lot of running and taken part in marathons and half marathons for charity, but I’ve never attempted anything in costume. I was looking for my next challenge and as I’m a farmer, specifically something that involved wellington boots.

“I saw that there was a marathon record set for under three hours, which would be a huge challenge to try in trainers – let alone in wellies. But then I saw the half marathon record set by a British woman in one hour 40 and I thought maybe I could have a go at that.”

Neil, who is working with a chiropractor to prepare for the run, continued: “As a farmer I spend several hours a day in wellies – even more so in winter as I try not to use vehicles as I don’t want to make a mess of my farm.

“I’m in wellies on all terrain and even did a 20-mile hike in them a few weeks ago – my walking boots had fallen apart so I thought I may as well try doing it in my wellies and getting used to it. There were some steep climbs, and I was expecting a lot of blisters, but I’d slipped in an extra pair of insoles and surprisingly my feet were fine.”

Discussing his preparation for the challenge, the sheep and cattle farmer said: “My base fitness is there, I’ve just got to learn how to run in wellies and get the right pair of boots. I do so much work in them and have chased animals, so I’ve done a bit of running in them, but now I need to build up my pace in the wellies and thankfully the Newport half marathon is a flat course.”

‘Really difficult industry’

Aiming to raise “a few thousand” for the FCN through this challenge, Neil said: “Agriculture is a really difficult industry to work in at the moment. Lots of farms are going under financially and there’s a lot of mental health issues that come with the job as it can be very lonely, but the charity is great at working alongside farmers to get to a better place with professionalism, understanding and compassion.

“I want to show other farmers that it is possible to do something other than farming. Fitness has had such a huge positive impact on my own mental and physical health and I’m so much stronger and work so much better on the farm as a result. I can’t recommend it enough.”

FCN Cymru area manager Linda Jones said: “I would like to sincerely thank Neil not only for his fundraising effort for FCN Cymru, but also for his commitment to raise awareness for the work we undertake.”

Matt Newman, chief executive of event organisers Run 4 Wales, also offered support to Neil and said: “We’re always amazed at the challenges our runners take on at our events and we wish Neil all the best with his Guinness World Record attempt at the ABP Newport Half Marathon in April.”

Visit JustGiving to make a donation to Neil’s cause.