Maidstone mummy runner breaks Guinness World Record at London marathon
09:23, 06 October 2021
updated: 09:23, 06 October 2021
Forget walking like an Egyptian - one Maidstone businessman broke a Guinness World Record at the London Marathon by running as one.
But Andrew Roberts, from Boxley Road, only earned the title after an unexpected battle with another athlete dressed as a mummy.
The 39-year-old, who runs supplement firm Pharmaquipe, said: “As I got off the train to get to the stalls for the race on Saturday, another gentleman stepped off the train in exactly the same costume going for exactly the same record.”
Andy found out his competition was fairly tight as his opponent aimed to complete the race in a similar time, around 3hrs 30mins. The previous record was 3hrs 59mins.
He said: “I went from assuming I was going to get this record to all of a sudden thinking I probably won’t because when I set my PB I didn’t have to wear a ridiculous costume,” he said.
The fancy dress was part of a plan to get more sponsorship for his part in the 26.2-mile challenge, cancelled in 2020 and delayed from April 2021 due to Covid.
So far he has raised nearly £2,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of his mother-in-law Sheila Clarke, who lost her life to the disease a couple of years ago.
He also ran the 100km Thames Path Challenge last month and hopes to complete a 100-mile run at Samphire Hoe this weekend.
The fellow mummy started the race six minutes ahead, which Andy said was fortunate as it “gave him something to chase down”.
He managed to overtake his opponent around 17 miles in and was able to stay ahead until the end of the race, smashing his PB and finishing in 3hrs 17mins.
Andy said breaking the world record nearly left him in tears, adding: “It really hit me when I crossed the finish line, not just for the personal achievement of doing it, but for the difference the fundraising money would make to people suffering with Motor Neurone Disease.
“I had to take myself to one side before I rang my wife. I gave myself a minute just to reflect.”
Click here to donate to Andy's fundraiser
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