A FORMER soldier is aiming for a place in the record books – with an epic row in which he won’t move an inch.

Gym owner Phill Wright is hoping to break the world for the longest distance covered on an indoor rowing machine in 24 hours.

In doing so he hopes to raise thousands of pounds to boost the battle against heart disease.

Phill, 36, was born and bred in Northallerton where most of his family and friends still live. He plans to begin his gruelling challenge at 10am on January 14 at the Leeds gym he now runs.

He will have to row more than 314,348 meters to beat the current world record for his category - set by South African, Ryan Palmer in 2012.

He hopes his daunting rowathon will raise awareness and thousands of pounds for the national charity Heart Research UK. He chose the charity after seeing several friends and relatives battling heart problems.

“In 2010 I lost one of my closest friends at the age of 35 to a rare heart condition” he said.

“After suffering all his life, a heart procedure was simply too much for his body to handle and he lost his battle. Despite this he lived his life to the full and was always a hugely positive influence on my life.

“Last year, my father-in-law survived another heart attack after a quadruple bypass, my cousin had two holes in his heart, as did his niece. She had an operation at just nine-months-old.

“And just a few months ago, one of my colleagues underwent open heart surgery at the age of 35, to replace a valve.”

He added: “Taking on what will be the toughest physical challenge I've ever attempted is nothing in comparison to these health challenges that so many people face every day.

“I want to raise as much money as possible for further research that can help people with heart conditions begin to have more normality in their lives.”

Hearty Research UK's spokesman Jodie Thomson said: “Phill certainly knows how to set himself a challenge, and we’re all rooting for him to break the record and raise important funds for our charity.

"Heart disease is still the UK’s biggest killer and Phill knows first-hand the effects it can have on you. We’re so grateful for his support and hope lots of people get behind his challenge.”

To support Phill and find out more about the challenge, log on to justgiving.com/phills24hourrow/