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A total of 40 new Guinness World Records (GWR) titles have been achieved at the Virgin Money London Marathon 2019.
78 runners lined up aiming to enter the record books on Sunday (28 April).
Oliver Williams was the first across the line of those attempting official GWR titles, setting a new best for the fastest marathon dressed as an awareness ribbon (male) in a time of 2 hours 36 minutes 52 seconds.
As they crossed the finish line in The Mall, those who had been successful in setting a new record were presented with their certificates.
One, Thomas Brockwell, beat the previous best time for fastest marathon dressed as a love heart by a mere 23 seconds, completing the marathon in a time of 3:05:32.
"The last 800 m were hell when I saw just how close it was. The legs are now fully dead," he said.
Another close finish was for the fastest marathon dressed as a tent (male), which was achieved by Oscar White in 3:57:05, three minutes under his target.
"The race was brilliant, the atmosphere was absolutely electric and the support was unlike any other race I've ever done, lined with thousands of people. It was an incredible experience and getting the Guinness World Records title as well and making it so tight, like a Hollywood finish with two minutes to go, was an incredible experience."
One runner who caught the eye of the thousands lining the 26-mile course was Kate Carter, dressed as panda as she attempted the fastest marathon in a full-body animal costume (female), achieving a record-breaking time of 3:48:32
"It was an amazing experience. It was really hard in a different way from normal running, but also just magical. The looks on kids faces as you go passed them was just amazing. The support in London is always amazing, but running in a furry suit just blows it out the water, 'go panda, go panda, go panda' just constantly.
"With the head on people can’t tell who I am so there was 'go panda boy, go panda man'. I think you’ll find I’m panda girl!"
After the marathon, Jessica Anderson was also confirmed as setting a new record for the fastest marathon in a nurse's uniform (female), completing the distance in 3:08:22.
As well as those officially attempting Guinness World Records titles, elite runner Eliud Kipchoge achieved the fastest time to run the London Marathon (male) with a time of 2:02:37.
Kipchoge's winning time was the second fastest marathon ever, only 58 seconds slower than the world record he set in Berlin last year and also means he now has the most wins of the London Marathon by an individual (male) with four.
Here is the full list of records achieved by runners attempting Guinness World Records titles:
I started off a little bit too quick because the crowds were just amazing, I was so excited. So the first five miles I went way too quick. Then eventually I realised if I didn’t slow down a bit I wouldn’t make it to the end. The last four miles I had to really dig deep. And the last mile I thought ‘if I stop I won’t start again’. But it’s done now and my legs don’t feel as bad as they did at mile 25," Nicky McKenzie, fastest marathon dressed as a cavewoman.
"It was amazing, I absolutely loved it. For the first time ever I was stopped on Tower Bridge for an interview, but I had to run past them as I had a record to get! I’m so excited. It’s my third record – the other two have both been broken. Everyone thinks I’m completely nuts for all the marathons I do, so that’s why I decided to run as a nut. But the more serious part is I wanted to raise awareness for mental health, and I think together we can all crack it," Sally Orange, fastest marathon dressed as a nut.
Feeling inspired? Places are now open for next year's Virgin Money London Marathon which will take place on Sunday 26 April 2020. Anyone wishing to attempt an official Guinness World Records title with on-the-day verification must apply by Friday 31 January 2020.