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84 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ATTEMPTS AT THE 2019 VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON
Pre and post-race picture, video, feature and interview opportunities available.


London, UK – April 2019: Guinness World Records™ (GWR) has collaborated with the Virgin Money London Marathon for the 12th consecutive year to provide the most creative and inspirational fun runners with on-the-Finish-Line world record verification.

A huge 84 world records are being attempted this year, featuring a total of 95 runners. 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 coveted place in the 2020 book out in September.

Picture assets and edited A roll video are available for the below:

Fastest marathon dressed as a three-dimensional animal (male)

Record to beat: 5:15:00

Harry, 25 years old and originally from Winchester, Hampshire, moved to London last year. He currently works for a pharmaceutical company within the diabetes therapy area. He is running for Save the Rhino after visiting Kenya twice and learning how rapidly rhino species are declining. Harry’s three-dimensional rhino costume will add an additional 10kg of weight and he has been completing his training in a weighted vest to help him prepare for the extra strain. Harry has four half marathons under his belt, however he will be taking on his first ever marathon in Paris, just a few weeks prior to taking part in this year’s Virgin Money London, with the additional challenge of a record attempt. With his passion for sport and fitness, achieving a Guinness World Records title has been a long-term goal for Harry, after receiving the books as annual Christmas gifts whilst growing up.

Fastest Marathon by a pair of siblings (mixed)

Record to beat: 4:50:00 (combined time)

Siblings Tom and Harriet Woolley, aged 39 and 30 years respectively, decided over a Sunday lunch to team up for this year’s London Marathon and attempt a Guinness World Records title for the Fastest marathon by a mixed pair of siblings.

The pair are keen runners and no strangers to marathons, with this year’s being Tom’s third, and Harriet’s fourth. Both currently run for Tunbridge Wells Harriers and Harriet became the Kent Grand Prix running league champion in 2018. Preparation will be key for them and is built around a 16-week training plan. This consists of slow long runs, hill reps, speed sessions and tempo run. Both siblings are also highly competitive but claim the other has the better chance of crossing the finish line first!

Picture assets are available for the below:

Fastest marathon dressed as a shoe

Record to beat: 4:14:18

Paul, 42 years old and originally from Norwich, now resides in Winchester with his wife and three children. Paul is a shoemaker with a degree in footwear, and he met his wife at shoe college while they were both studying. Paul is a highly experienced runner and no stranger to a challenge with around 70 marathons and a handful of ultra-marathons under his belt; one of which took him 35 hours to complete and involved two sleepless nights. Paul will be raising money for the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers, a charity he cares very deeply for and whose donations provide footwear for the prosthetic limbs of injured, ex-military service men and women. This will be Paul’s first Guinness World Records attempt and the Fastest marathon dressed as a shoe title seemed like a natural fit! He hopes that the challenge will aid his fundraising efforts and raise awareness.

Fastest marathon dressed as a tent

Record to beat: 4:00:00

Oscar is 28 years old and grew up in Solihull, Birmingham. He now lives in London however when he first moved to the city, Oscar had a sense of feeling trapped by his hectic job and struggled to find outdoor activities to do around the city. Since then, he has believed that getting active and outdoors is paramount to looking after mental and physical health. He will therefore be raising money for a charity that supports this ethos, helps young people get their outdoor fix and gain confidence and self-esteem; the Outward Bound Trust. Oscar wanted to add a Guinness World Records attempt into the mix to help encourage others to attempt records and raise awareness in a fun and friendly way. He hopes to join the record breakers family and says: “GWR is not just about pushing human boundaries, but also building a community of competitors, dreamers and aspirers!” Oscar loves a challenge and has taken part in many ironman events. He will be preparing for this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon by testing out his costume in a number of races across the UK in the lead up to the event.

Fastest Marathon dressed as a tooth

Record to beat: 4:15:00

Fastest marathon dressed as a toiletry item (female)

Record to beat: 4:54:00

Friends Katie and Fiona from Stockton on Tees, Durham, spend a lot of time running together and so it only seemed right that they attempt Guinness World Records titles together at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon! Fiona, who works as a Dentist, will be running as a tooth and Katie, a Police Officer, will be complementing Fiona’s costume and running dressed as a tube of toothpaste! This will be Katie’s ninth Marathon and Fiona’s fourth, and both will be running to raise money for Derian House charity; a children’s hospice that offers respite and palliative care to children, young people and families. The charity provides great support to a close friend and their daughter, who sadly suffers from severe Cerebral Palsy and needs a lot of external care. As well as raising money and awareness for a worthy cause, both women are also hoping their Guinness World Records attempts will impress their children, who are fans of the book, and prove to them that exercise can be fun!

Fastest marathon dressed as a landmark

Record to beat: 3:34:34

Lukas, 30 years old and from Kent, has completed many marathons in the past. His personal best time is currently 2:59:22, achieved at the Brighton Marathon in 2018. Attempting a Guinness World Records title has always been on his bucket list, and he figured dressing up as Big Ben would be a fun rendition of the record-breaking process. Lukas is running to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK and to simply create conversation about the disease. This charity lies close to his heart, as his grandma passed away last year after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Lukas plans to do at least four runs in his costume before marathon day, but he typically just runs with a weighted vest to get used to the extra weight of the costume.

Fastest marathon in a six-person costume

Record to beat: 6:20:49

Charlie, Cey, Rob, Dave, Helen and Andy, aged between 29 and 49 and with a collective 16 marathons under their belts, are teaming up to attempt a Guinness World Records title for the Fastest marathon in a six person costume at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon. The group all work within the Metropolitan Police Service, at various ranks. From a Police Officer on a Safer Schools unit and a detective on the child abuse investigation team, to a Chief Superintendent in charge of the Met’s largest command unit. Cey was part of the team who achieved the same record at last year’s London Marathon and was keen to return to beat his own record, this time with new teammates in tow. They have all been training individually wearing weighted vests/ back packs and to date they have had two full dress rehearsals. They will be raising money for Clic Sargent and Tanyel’s Smile in honour of Cey’s late daughter Tanyel, who very sadly passed away from cancer in 2016 aged 20. Since her diagnosis he has raised thousands of pounds for CLIC Sargent who helped him and his family deal with the impact. Cey and his wife have since set up ‘Tanyel’s Smile’ in her memory and the Thunderbirds team will be raising money for both this year.

This is just a small selection of the runners attempting world records that form part of the high drama and emotion of the 2019 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 its 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 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon are:
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a shoe (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed in a classic brownie uniform (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a stationary item (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a golfer (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a zombie (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a mythical creature (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in scout uniform (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a fairy tale character (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a Christmas tree (male) 
  • Fastest marathon carrying an ironing board and iron (male) 
  • Fastest marathon run by a pair of siblings (mixed pair) 
  • Fastest marathon in a four-person costume 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a mummy (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a love heart (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a landmark building (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a caveman (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a videogame character (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a car (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a tooth (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a postman (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as an item of cutlery (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a snowboarder (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a toiletry item (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as an egg (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a glass (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a music player (male) 
  • Fastest marathon wearing ski boots (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a three dimensional animal (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a tree (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed in a football/soccer kit (male) 
  • Fastest marathon wearing handcuffs 
  • Fastest marathon in a sleeping bag (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a military dress uniform (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a fruit (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed in a tent (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a referee (female) 
  • Fastest marathon in a three person costume 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a dragon (male) 
  • Most t-shirts worn during a marathon (female)
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a candy confectionery item (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a cavewoman (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a nut (female) 
  • Fastest marathon in a highland dress (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a doctor (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed in an ice hockey kit (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a skeleton (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as an emoji (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a six person costume 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a hospital patient (female)
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a scientist (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a full body animal costume (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as harlequin (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed in a flight suit (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a robot (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a film character costume (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a post box (male)
  • Fastest marathon dressed as an astronomical body (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a wedding dress (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a DNA double helix (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a chef (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a chef (male) 
  • Fastest marathon in a field hockey goalkeeper kit (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as an awareness ribbon (male) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a scientist (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as Elvis (female) 
  • Fastest marathon dressed as a nun (male) 
  • Fastest marathon with two runners handcuffed together (mixed) 
  • Fastest marathon wearing ice skates

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