This year a total of 68 hopefuls will be attempting to set 58 new world records at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 24 April in the ninth successive year of a record-breaking partnership with GWR.

Runners choosing to target a Guinness World Records title not only have to cope with running in an obstructive costume, being tied to other runners or weighing themselves down but they also have to beat some incredible times to become a record holder.

This year will see four runners – including Sean Fitzpatrick dressed as Disney character Elsa, from Frozen – looking to beat a time of three hours. Other sub-three hour hopefuls include a nurse and a chameleon.

Ian Bates, 45, from Crawley, West Sussex, will swap his day job as a bus fleet engineer for a costume weighing 20kg when he runs the London Marathon hoping to achieve the record for Fastest marathon dressed as a 3-D dinosaur. Ian is running to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley who are dedicated to providing specialised end of life care and support to local people, their families, friends and carers.

Gill Punt, 45, from Essex, has raised an amazing £250,000 for Cancer Research UK following the death of her father and will take on the 26.2-mile challenge dressed as a polar bear, the official mascot of the charity. To claim the title for Fastest marathon in a full body animal costume (female) she will need to cross the Finish Line in under 4:30.

Team-running has become an extremely popular category in recent years, and 2016 continues the trend. This year, Chris Coulson and Thomas Church will run together as a horse and jockey duo hoping to run the Fastest marathon in a two-person costume. They will be running in support of The Get A-Head Charitable Trust, an independent cancer charity supporting those with head and neck diseases and cancer.

Joining them will be Lee Small, James Lafferty, Michael Palmer and Stevie Clifford-Tucker, all firefighters from the London Fire Brigade, who will be hoping to beat a time of 6:30 in their four-person fire engine to gain the title of Fastest marathon in a four-person costume. They are celebrating the 150th birthday of the London Fire Brigade and raising money for the Fire Fighter’s Charity.

Lisa Wilkinson, a 44-year-old mother of three from Reading, will complete her 17th London Marathon (her 25th marathon in total) this year and to celebrate the achievement she will be running for a place in the Guinness World Records book dressed as Snow White. She is attempting to beat a time of 3:39.49 to become the Fastest marathon dressed as a book character (female) while raising money for the charity Action on Hearing Loss in honour of her son who is deaf.

Hugh Brasher, Event Director for the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “We have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Guinness World Records since our partnership began in 2008. Record breaking adds another dimension to the day and provides a great additional incentive for supporters to donate to charitable causes. We’re looking forward to a wonderful day as we celebrate all our runners becoming #oneinamillion.”

Source: Virgin Money London Marathon 2016