An army major preparing to deploy to Afghanistan has completed a gruelling six-and-a-half hour endurance challenge to raise funds for his regimental charity.

Major Will Leek was one of 138 competitors who swam one mile, kayaked four miles, cycled 45 miles and then ran eight miles across tracks, sand, mud and marsh in the Norfolk Superhero event at Burnham Overy on Saturday June 23.

He serves with the Light Dragoons, based at the Robertson Barracks in Swanton Morley, near Dereham, and raised money for the Light Dragoons Colonel's Appeal.

He said: 'It's a tough event but it went alright. There are some real professionals who do it, and I think me and my friend realised pretty quickly we were among the amateurs.

'The swim was pretty windy and quite choppy. It was quite cold and the choppy bit made breathing difficult.'

He added that the cycling thorough north Norfolk villages would have been beautiful if he had not been competing, and the last mile running through a marsh was especially hard.

The Dragoons started their current tour of duty in Afghanistan in March, and Maj Leek is due to fly out to take command of a squadron at the end of July.

He said: 'Whilst we have people serving and we have injured soldiers who have had to come back from Afghanistan, if people can give whatever they can it will go directly to help either the servicemen or their families through what can be a very troublesome time.'

To sponsor Maj Leek, see uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NorfolkSuperheroLeek