A KICKBOXING champion is attempting to complete a marathon while pulling a 1.25-tonne aeroplane for charity.

Carl Thomas, 35, started dragging the Cessna up and down the airfield at Elvington, near York, on Wednesday evening, reaching a top speed of around 2mph.

He is raising £250,000 for Ollie’s Army, a charity that supports a family who have two children with Batten’s disease.

Before the attempt, Carl said: “You cannot really train for this, but I have been pulling my car up and down in an empty car park.

“I’ve got to do it in 24 hours so I cannot take a break, I’ll not be sleeping so I will be pretty rough.”

Carl, from Stockport, had hoped to use a lighter plane, but that became unavailable so he has had to use a 1,250kg Cessna, completing two-mile loops of the airfield without any assistance at the turns.

He said: “I’ll have a crazy level of exhaustion, but I’ve got a good support team and they will keep me going.”

Mr Thomas is undertaking 10 charity challenges and hopes to raise £1 million over 10 years.

He has previously run 10 marathons in 10 days and cycled 1,500 miles in 10 days.

To donate visit justgiving.com and search Carl Thomas.