Wounded army hero to run 52 marathons

A Black Country army hero who suffered severe burns when his tank was petrol-bombed in Iraq is set to show he has taken the terrible injuries in his stride by running 52 marathons in a year.

Super-fit Karl Hinett, aged 23, aims to complete the amazing feat of endurance by running one a weekend for a year to raise money for the burns unit at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

The 23-year-old, whose family live in Hawthorne Road, Tipton, said: "I suppose I am a glutton for punishment."

Mr Hinett was a teenage private when he suffered 37 per cent burns to his hands, legs, arms and face during an attack by a mob.

It happened during a tour of duty in Basra with the former Staffordshire Regiment in 2005.

Horrifying pictures of the gunner and his comrades being engulfed in flames as they climbed out of their blazing Warrior tank were screened on TV news bulletins around the world.

Mr Hinett, who has since been medically discharged from the Army, has lost count of the number of operations and skin grafts he has undergone in the burns unit at Selly Oak Hospital.

But he illustrated his determination to overcome the wounds by having the word "unscarred" tattooed on his stomach, proving that his spirit was not broken.

His recovery amazed doctors and now he aims to show his gratitude for their medical skill by raising money for the hospital unit where he was treated.

Mr Hinett, now living in Dudley, has since trained as a gym instructor and developed a love of distance running after completing the London Marathon in 2007. He also enjoys travelling and exploring.

He explained: "The Army were fantastic after the incident but I decided myself and with my superiors that it would be best if I had a medical discharge.

"Now I am concentrating on the next stage of my life."