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26 July, 2019

Record-breakers – North Shore team on top of the world

Flagstaff Team

Tired out… Tom Moore congratulates fellow 24-hour tyre flipper Gareth Edwards after the pair broke the world record last weekend. Photos: Will Rundle

Tom Moore and Gareth Edwards flipped a 93kg tyre for 24 hours last weekend setting a new world record and raising more than $10,000 for men’s mental health.

Moore (29) and Edwards (40) trained for 20 weeks to break the current 24-hour tyre-flipping record of 20km with a lighter 68kg tyre.

Energy to burn…Tom Moore (right) looks like he could flip for a few more kms but partner Gareth Edwards might not be so keen.

The pair flipped from midday Saturday 20 July to midday Sunday 21 July, reaching a longer distance of 24km with a larger 93kg tyre. The world record wasn’t the only target the pair had taken on, they aimed to raise $10,000 for mental health charity the John Kirwan Foundation.

“We’ve both been in some pretty dark places so this is a cause that is extremely close to our hearts,” says Edwards.

“To look back on it it’s just such a surreal experience. We both entered the flow state to make the majority of time pass,” says Moore. “I hit the wall around 5 or 6am on Sunday morning when my lower back started flaring up.”

Moore on his final lap.

“It was a lot of really hard work. A lot of pain and a lot of suffering, but I’d do it all again for the money we raised for the cause.”

“It was immensely emotional at the end. Both Gareth and I cried. It was the relief of getting through it. We did it.

“I’m tearing up just thinking about it. It’s just really humbling.”

Moore is ecstatic after his final flip.

Moore spent most of his life in Devonport. He also attended Takapuna Grammar School, where he was a sports prefect and a sports team captain. He later became a TGS rowing coach and fitness instructor at Just Workout Devonport and some ex-TGS students were there in support. He now works as a teacher at Macleans College.

Edwards works and lives in Forrest Hill where he is a personal trainer and business owner. The record was filmed by South Seas Television School, with a team of students to capturing the 24 hours for the official Guinness World Record submission.

To donate to their Givealittle page, please visit givealittle.co.nz/cause/24-hour-tyre-flipping-for-mental-health.

Calm after the storm… Gareth Edwards and Tom Moore reflect on their achievement.

This article originally appeared in the July 26 edition of The Devonport Flagstaff. Download PDF.