Fifty Eight Guinness World Record Attempts at the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon

 

London, UK – April 2016: Guinness World Records™ has collaborated with the Virgin Money London Marathon for the ninth consecutive year to provide 68 of the most creative and determined fun runners with on-the-Finish-Line world record verification. 

 

A huge 58 world records are being attempted this year, featuring a total of 68 runners, and a team of Guinness World Records adjudicators will be on hand to check costumes, verify times and confirm successful runners as official GWR title holders, earning them a place in the 2017 book.

 

 

5 hours to beat 

 

Ian Bates (45), a bus fleet engineer from Crawley, West Sussex, has sculpted arguably the finest costume ever to grace the circuit. The costume weighs 20kg and has taken 18 months to create – spectators will be running for the hills as he roars towards the Finish Line. Ian is raising money for St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley.

 

 

5 hours to beat 

 

Phillip Box (30) has already run over 70 marathons and ultra-marathons, and having completed a personal goal of running 100 miles in under 24 hours last year, he decided strapping a tumble dryer to his back was the only way to keep pushing himself! Once the Virgin Money London Marathon is behind him, Phillip plans to conquer Snowdon with his affectionately named ‘Tumble’, who weighs in at 24kg. Phillip is raising money for Polycystic Kidney Disease research, an incurable condition from which his four-year-old nephew suffers.

 

 

6:30 to beat

 

Lee Small, James Lafferty, Michael Palmer and Stevie Clifford-Tucker, all firefighters from the London Fire Brigade will be displaying their superior coordination skills in their four-person fire engine, complete with working sirens. They are celebrating the 150th birthday of the London Fire Brigade and raising money for the Fire Fighters’ Charity.

 

 

 

 

Ever wondered what to do to keep the kids busy at the weekend? Mark Midgley, a 50-year-old father of seven from Doncaster, is attempting this brand new Guinness World Records title with no fewer than four of his children! Jaimie, Daniel, Kyle and Taylor have all served in the armed forces. Jaimie was in the Royal Engineers, Daniel – the Royal Logistics Corp, Kyle – the Royal Marine and Taylor was in the Royal Air Force. Mark says deciding to run the marathon has brought his family closer together, and he is hoping to raise money for The Royal British Legion.

 

 

Gill Punt, a 45-year-old Development Officer at Chigwell School in Essex, has raised a whopping £250,000 for Cancer Research UK following the death of her father and she is running in a polar bear costume – the official mascot of Cancer Research UK. 

 

 

Mother of three Lisa Wilkinson, from Reading, is running her 25th marathon this year. The 44-year-old has chosen to raise money for the charity Action on Hearing Loss in honour of her son who is deaf. She ran her first marathon in London in 1999 and has done so 15 times since, as well as clocking up the miles all over the world, including Berlin, New York and Boston. To celebrate her 25th marathon, she is running for a place in the Guinness World Records book as Snow White. 

 

This is just a small selection of the runners attempting world records that form part of the high drama and emotion of the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon.  

Other record categories being attempted at this year’s marathon include: 

 

Fastest marathon dressed as a nurse (male) 

Fastest marathon as a fast food item (male) 

Fastest marathon in a full body dinosaur costume 

Fastest marathon in a two-person costume – Native Americans in a canoe

Fastest marathon dressed as a bottle (male) 

Fastest marathon dressed in riot gear 

Fastest marathon in a two-person costume – A horse and jockey 

Fastest marathon carrying a 100lb pack

Fastest marathon in a ghillie suit (female)

Fastest marathon three-legged 

Fastest marathon dressed in ice hockey kit 

Fastest marathon dressed in chain mail 

Fastest marathon as a plant x3

Fastest marathon in a firefighter’s uniform 

Fastest marathon dressed as a film character x2

Fastest marathon by a mascot

Fastest marathon dressed as an animal x2

Fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean 

Fastest marathon as a 3D dinosaur 

Fastest marathon dressed as a tap (male) 

Fastest marathon wearing a replica astronaut suit – Two attempts, male & female. Both of whom work for the ESA

Fastest marathon dressed as an astronaut X2

Fastest marathon in an animal costume (female)

Fastest marathon carrying 20lb pack

Fastest marathon dressed as a book character x2

Fastest marathon two runners handcuffed together

Fastest marathon dressed in a dinosaur body suit

Fastest marathon in a scout uniform 

Fastest marathon run by a parent and four children

Fastest marathon dressed as an astronaut (male)

Fastest marathon with 80lb pack 

Fastest marathon dressed as a human organ

Fastest marathon in a graduation gown 

Fastest marathon dressed as a chef x2

Fastest marathon by a mascot (female)

Fastest marathon dressed as a gingerbread man 

Fastest marathon dressed as an elf x2

Fastest marathon in highland dress 

Fastest marathon dressed as a human organ 

Fastest marathon dressed as a circus strongman 

Fastest marathon three-legged male 

Fastest marathon dressed as a mobile phone 

Fastest marathon dressed as a shoe 

Fastest marathon four-legged

Fastest marathon in a four person in a costume – A Fire Engine

Fastest marathon dressed as a caveman

 

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