Severely Injured Afghanistan War Veteran and Invictus Games Champion Aims For World Record

Andy Grant, severely injured by an IED in Afghanistan, elected to have his leg amputated for a better quality of life and has now set his mind to beating the world record for 10 km by a single amputee.

A brilliant motivational speaker, Invictus Games gold medallist and a friend of Prince Harry, he has climbed some of the highest mountains in Europe and abseiled down the Shard in London – setbacks don’t hold him back

Now Andy is going to attempt to break the single amputee world record for 10km on 14th June running in School of Hard Knocks colors, the charity that he serves as Patron. Once that is in the bag he will then attempt the Marathon des Sables, the toughest foot race in the world, next year.

The School of Hard Knocks is a charity that uses rugby and boxing, to tackle social exclusion by getting unemployed people back into work. At the heart of this four-year-old charity is a belief in tough love. Jack Lewars, Director of Operations at SOHK, says: “If what we teach is bought into by participants, then the self respect, self belief, teamwork and discipline learned can and does lead to at least 50% of those that stay the eight week course finding jobs. You might say that what we do is take people out of hopelessness via sport and give them a life.”

Jack adds: “Our role is to help the unemployed and socially disadvantaged get back into work. Many face huge challenges. So the challenges which Andy Grant has faced down acts as an inspiration to them. He is a living example of what a single man can achieve against the odds. We are proud to have him as our Patron.”

Andy Grant has been through a lot in a relatively short period of time. More than most will ever experience or will ever imagine. At 12 years old, Andy lost his mum to leukaemia, leaving him to help his dad bring up his two younger sisters.

At 17, he decided after a year of A levels, that he needed a different challenge and was drawn into the Royal Marines by a single TV advert.

After completing the Royal Marine Commando training, he earned his coveted green beret and served in operation in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly seven years, before being medically discharged after some very serious injuries in Afghanistan. Andy was blown up, five months into his tour to Afghanistan, which resulted in him spending two weeks in an induced coma and eighteen months in and out of hospital before he eventually decided to have his leg amputated for a better quality of life and for control of his future.

Since then, Andy has practiced what he preaches and lives each day like it is his last and certainly has got back the quality of life that he desired. He has been selected for the GB paratriathalon talent squad, can run 10K in 40 minutes – 2 minutes off the world record for a single leg amputee, has abseiled Europe’s tallest building, won gold medals in the Invictus Games 2014 and learnt to ski and surf.

Andy hopes to break a number of world records and has his eyes set on a few firsts for an amputee. First of all a new record for the 10km run.

SOHK is the brainchild of Ken Cowen, a teacher by training, who found that a few sessions on a rugby pitch in Liverpool was the surest way of instilling some discipline and control into tearaway pupils about to be excluded from school.

SOHK is helping many desperate people to get off the sidelines of life and turn the job market into something that looks less like a scrum with a little help from the Royals, bankers, corporates and many private individuals who see that rugby can be so much more than a game. SchoolofHardKnocks.org.uk