NINETY GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ATTEMPTS AT THE 2018 VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
Pre and post-race picture, video, feature and interview opportunities available
London, UK – April 2018: Guinness World Records™ has collaborated with the Virgin Money London Marathon for the 11th consecutive year to provide the most creative and determined fun runners with on-the-Finish-Line world record verification. A huge 90 world records are being attempted this year, featuring a total of 98 runners which is the highest number ever! 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 2019 book out in September.
Picture assets are available for the below:
Fastest marathon dressed as a toilet (male)
02:57:28 to beat
This year’s Virgin Money London Marathon will be Bob’s 11th and is not his first Guinness World Records title attempt. Between 2009 and 2010, Bob held the record for the Fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable and this year he will try to claim back his status as a current Guinness World Records title holder when he attempts to break the record for the Fastest marathon dressed as a toilet (male). Having supported WaterAid for many years, Bob now works full time for the charity and therefore has chosen to fundraise for them. He chose his costume based on WaterAid’s aims of providing clean, working toilets, along with clean water and hygiene education to one in three of the world’s population. He hopes that a Guinness World Records attempt will help inspire support.
Fastest marathon on stilts
06:50:02 to beat
In 2008, Michelle became the first person to set the record for the Fastest marathon on stilts and this year, on the 10th anniversary, she will be attempting to claim back her record. Michelle has completed a marathon only once, when she initially claimed the Guinness World Records title. Michelle works for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and therefore it was a natural choice for her to raise money for this cause. She says: “Every day I speak to those affected by and living with this dreadful disease, so I’m proud to be able to raise some much-needed awareness by taking on the marathon, hopefully I’ll be easy to spot!”. Michelle has been training by walking through the Bedfordshire countryside parks on her stilts which has certainly confused the walkers, dogs and horses that she has passed whilst out and about! Her Guinness World Records attempt has garnered so much interest she has even received donations from those who have spotted her practicing in public.
Fastest marathon by a mascot (male)
03:17:57 to beat
Lee is running the Virgin Money London Marathon as everyone’s favourite bear this year for his Guinness World Records title attempt for the Fastest marathon by a mascot. Lee is running in support of Action Medical Research, whose mascot is Paddington Bear. Action Medical Research (AMR) holds a special place in Lee’s heart, as they work to fight children’s diseases, and Lee lost a daughter in 2005. Ever since then, Lee has been working to raise money for AMR to further their advances in children’s medical research. So far, Lee has run two 10k races and one marathon dressed as Paddington Bear, though his previous marathon was in a slightly different suit. Additionally, Lee has a half marathon planned in his Paddington Bear suit in October. Lee has run six previous London Marathons, his first one being in 2008. This year, Lee wanted to do something special to commemorate his 10-year London Marathon anniversary, so he decided to run in fancy dress in attempt of achieving a Guinness World Records title.
Fastest marathon dressed as an Emoji (female)
04:30:00 to beat
This year will be Victoria’s first marathon and she has chosen to complete it whilst also attempting to break the Guinness World Records title for the Fastest marathon dressed as an Emoji (female). Although this will be Victoria’s first marathon, she loves training for a challenge, having completed a number of half marathons and the Prudential 100, bike ride in the past. Growing up, Victoria received the Guinness World Records annual in her Christmas stocking every year and she is now keen to tick breaking a record off her bucket list. Victoria is raising money for WaterAid, a charity she has always wanted to help following a poignant and inspirational talk from a charity representative at work. She has chosen run as the ‘poop’ emoji and says: “It had to be the poop – everybody’s favourite emoji! It’s recognisable, kids love it and it will make people laugh. Plus, it’s perfect for WaterAid who work tirelessly to ensure everyone in the world has access to clean water and decent toilets.”
Fastest Marathon dressed as an insect
03:32:41 to beat
Barnaby is no stranger to running long distances, as he has lost count of how many marathons and super marathons he has finished. He runs every day, and when training for a marathon he increases his mileage, along with adding some high intensity training. While this is Barnaby’s first Guinness World Records title attempt, he ran the Virgin Money London Marathon in Captain America dress last year for fun. Inspired by the encouragement he received from this, Barnaby decided to attempt to run the Fastest marathon dressed as an insect while dressed up as a bee. Barnaby picked his costume because he thinks bumble bees are amazing creatures for the environment, and he has a ‘B’ in his name. Barnaby is raising money for the charity Refugees at Home, where he is a regular volunteer. Refugees at Home works mainly through getting refugees temporary accommodation until they are entitled to work. Watch as he buzzes past the finish line on 22nd April
Fastest Marathon dressed as a stationary item (male)
03:45:00 to beat
Pencil Alex in on your list of runners to watch at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon! This year is Alex’s 34th marathon, and 16th London Marathon. After achieving his lifetime goal of running a sub-3 hour marathon at last year’s Virgin Money London Marathon, Alex decided it was time for a new challenge. A journalist by trade, running as a pencil was the natural choice for Alex, who is running for a second Guinness World Records title attempt. This year, Alex is raising money for Ellie’s Friends, a part of Maggie’s Cancer Charity, in honour of a good friend and a family member who recently passed away due to cancer. Though he hasn’t trained much in his costume due to embarrassment of running around his town dressed as a pencil, he is excited to run across the finish line dressed in it at St. James’ Park.
Fastest marathon dressed as a tree (male)
04:30:00 to beat
Tim has decided to take on his first Guinness World Records attempt as he completes his sixth marathon, whilst fundraising for the Money Charity. Tim runs The Nudge Global; a software business that aims to make money simpler and improve the financial wellbeing of employees and their families, and so in terms of fundraising for a charity, The Money Charity, who support and educate young and vulnerable people across the UK, was a natural choice for him. Tim has chosen to run the Fastest marathon dressed as a tree (male) to reflect the work of the money charity, and quickly realised that this was not going to be an ‘off the peg’ costume and would require him to dust off his sewing kit. After deliberating running as a chocolate coin, credit card and piggy bank, Tim settled on running in a ‘money tree’ costume. He is yet to train in it though and is sorry to see the arrival of lighter evenings as they are ‘taking away’ his cover!
This is just a small selection of the runners attempting world records that form part of the high drama and emotion of the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon.
For a full list of the record-breaking attempts, including human interest stories, please contact the GWR Press office. Guinness World Records will be providing live results on the day via their twitter account @GWR
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PROFILES, INTERVIEW AND FEATURE OPPORTUNITIES PLEASE CONTACT:
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Press Office
Press@guinnessworldrecords.com
Twitter - @GWRPRESS
Notes to Editors:
All official record attempts taking place at the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon are:
Fastest marathon in film character costume Fastest marathon dressed as a doctor (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a lifeguard
Fastest marathon in a wedding dress (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a Viking
Fastest marathon dressed as Mr. Potato Head
Fastest marathon dressed as a Star Wars character (male)
Fastest marathon in a two-person costume
Fastest marathon dressed as a golfer (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a golfer
Fastest marathon dressed as an insect
Fastest marathon dressed in pyjamas (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a love heart (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a caveman (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a nun
Fastest marathon dressed as a gingerbread man
Fastest marathon in highland dress (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a postman
Fastest marathon dressed in a rugby kit (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a Start Wars character (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a monarch
Fastest marathon dressed as a lifeguard (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a love heart (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable
Fastest marathon dressed as a pharaoh
Fastest marathon dressed as a cheerleader (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a hospital patient
Fastest marathon dressed as a cavewoman (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a whoopee cushion
Fastest marathon dressed as a fruit (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a cheerleader (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a cheerleader
Fastest marathon dressed as a stationery item
Fastest marathon dressed as a cavewoman (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a mascot (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a lifeguard (female)
Fastest marathon in a suit (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a tree (male)
Fastest marathon in a straightjacket
Fastest marathon dressed as a nut
Fastest marathon dressed as a zombie (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a padlock (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as an emoji (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a mythical creature
Fastest marathon dressed as a dragon (female)
Fastest marathon as a television character (female)
Fastest marathon dressed in a traditional brownie uniform (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as Elvis (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a construction worker (female)
Fastest marathon three-legged (mixed)
Fastest marathon dressed in motorcycle leathers
Fastest marathon dressed as an emoji
Fastest marathon in a full-body animal costume
Fastest marathon dressed as a confectionery item (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a Star Wars character (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a mummy (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a commercial brand character
Fastest marathon dressed as a Rubik’s cube (male)
Fastest marathon dressed in a full body animal costume
Fastest marathon dressed as a fairy tale character
Fastest marathon dressed as a toilet (male)
Fastest marathon carrying a 60-lb pack (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a landmark (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a dragon (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a candy confectionary item
Fastest marathon dressed as a three-dimensional plant (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a Star Wars character (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a dessert (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as Star Wars character (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a heavy-duty vehicle (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a three-dimensional toy
Fastest marathon carrying an ironing board and iron
Fastest marathon wearing ski boots
Fastest marathon on stilts
Fastest marathon wearing armour
Fastest marathon in a six-person costume
Fastest marathon dressed as a mountain climber (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as an insect (male)
Fastest marathon in a wedding dress (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a Christmas tree (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a tennis player (male)
Fastest marathon on crutches (one legged)
Fastest marathon dressed as a leprechaun
Fastest marathon dressed as a pharaoh (female)
Fastest marathon dressed as a toy (male)
Fastest marathon dressed as a ninja
Fastest marathon carrying a household appliance (white goods)
Fastest marathon dressed as a three dimensional aircraft (male)
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