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"Over the weekend it has become quite clear to Guinness World Records that our guidelines for the fastest marathon wearing a nurse’s uniform were outdated, incorrect and reflected a stereotype we do not in any way wish to perpetuate. 

"Having received the official timings from London Marathon this morning we are pleased to award Jessica with the Guinness World Records title for the fastest marathon wearing a nurse’s uniform for her attempt on Sunday 28 April (3 hours, 8 minutes and 22 seconds), and have notified her as such.

"I want to take this opportunity to reassure everybody concerned that Guinness World Records is absolutely committed to ensuring we uphold the highest standards of equality and inclusiveness. Therefore, we unreservedly apologise and accept full responsibility for the mishandling of Jessica Anderson’s application. 

"Moreover, we have taken the decision to no longer allow fancy dress clothing for this category and will introduce guidelines which reflect the clothes worn by nurses in the UK and around the world. 

"We are proud to have partnered with the London Marathon for the last 12 years. The original plan was to create a handful of record titles to match the already large appetite for running the marathon in fancy dress, and in 2007, seven people ran the marathon with the goal of achieving a world record. Since then, we have seen hundreds of records attempted and broken, as well as thousands of pounds raised for numerous charities. At the 2019 marathon, 87 people started the race hoping to achieve a Guinness World Records title.

"The review of this category is the first review of each one of our 200+ marathon titles we will be conducting as a priority, to ensure we do not allow any costumes which bring a profession or any other subject into disrepute. Any we discover will be either amended to reflect modern standards, or deactivated.

"Happening concurrently to this is a constant scrutiny of not just marathon record titles, but all of our record titles, as we continue to strive to ensure we create, monitor and catalogue record-breaking feats which truly reflect the world we live in today."

Samantha Fay

Senior Vice President, Guinness World Records