A WROUGHTON dad is hoping to smash a Mo Farah athletics world record at the County Ground this afternoon.

The sport: sack race. The world record hopeful: 36-year-old graphic designer Stephen Wildish.

The dad-of-two will line up at 1pm today, attempting to beat running ace Mo Farah’s 100-metre sack race record of 39.91 seconds.

Confident Stephen expects to beat the time ‘easily’: “I’ll smash it. I’ve done a couple of test runs.”

The Wroughton man decided to take on the challenge after recently beating a friend in a sack race – decades after he was the reigning champion at Colebrook Junior School.

“I’ve bragged for years that I have been undefeated in the sack race. Since school, I’ve always won the races – I’ve even got a video of me arrogantly stopped just before the winning line, waiting for the others.

“Someone said recently – ‘put your money where your mouth is’. I beat him in the race.”

After the win against his friend, Stephen thought he might have a go at the world record attempt.

“I went down to the local school, where they’ve got a 100-metre track marked out and I smashed Mo Farah’s record in 30 seconds.”

Verifying his world record attempt this afternoon will be two athletics track staff armed with timers.

Stephen has had just one month to train for his record attempt, hopping on a gym treadmill and organising practice solo sack races in the field behind his Wroughton home.

He said his two children – aged nine and 11 – are ‘proud’ but not especially interested.

“I’m always doing unusual things, so they don’t take much notice.”