Brothers-in-law each pull a van 32 miles to jointly break world record

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A pair of British brothers-in-law each pulled a 1.65-ton van a distance of 32 miles to become co-holders of a Guinness World Records title.

James Baker, 36, and John Darwen, 32, completed their feats side-by-side at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire and both stopped at exactly 32 miles to become co-holders of the Guinness World Record for farthest distance pulling a vehicle in 24 hours as an individual.

The brothers-in-law said Darwen's bout with leukemia 14 years ago inspired them to start completing challenges each year to raise money for charity. They started out running half-marathons and marathons before deciding to take on the more demanding challenge of the van pulling world record.

The men said the record stood at 2.1 miles when they first decided to attempt the challenge in 2019, but they soon learned the record had been increased to 21.1 miles.

Baker and Darwen decided to continue to train for the record and in October 2021 they jointly set the record at 22.1 miles.

The men decided to take their record even further and, 10 months later, pulled vans side-by-side for a distance of 32 miles. Friend Daniel Callaghan also attempted to break the record with them, but had to stop after 14 miles due to a pulled ligament in his ankle.

The record attempt raised money for charities Redeeming Our Communities and Cancer Research U.K.