South Shields man aims to break world record for fastest marathon in full suit
A software engineer from South Shields, is set to attempt the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a full suit at the London Marathon in April 2027, with a target time of two hours, 38 minutes and 21 seconds.
A South Shields man has set himself the challenge of beating to world record for the fastest man to run a marathon wearing a full suit.
Adam McKenna, 30, is set to be the smartest dressed to run London Marathon in April 2027, when he will attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for running the fastest marathon in a full suit.
His time to beat is a mean two hours, 38 minutes and 21 seconds, set by Jason Hunt at the Melbourne Marathon last October, and Adam said he is feeling “quietly confident” about the epic challenge with his marathon PB sitting at two hours, 44 minutes and 45 seconds.
In September, the software engineer practiced by running the Great North Run wearing his suit, and crossed the finish line in just one hour and 30 minutes.
He said: “I got over the Tyne Bridge and I was like, I’ve made a huge mistake here.
“There’s some photos where you can see genuine suffering in my eyes, but it was amazing.
“I learned a lot from doing that.”
Adam said he had the idea to try and beat the record a few years ago when he watched somebody else succeed at the challenge at the London Marathon.
Training
At the time, he was living in Cambodia, where conditions are often hot and humid, and he realised he could use the conditions to his advantage and train in the warmer weather.
Now Adam, who has been running since 2017, has returned to South Shields, but says he plans to build in some warm-weather training ahead of the marathon in addition to running in the local area in his get up.
“The runner’s high, it’s unmatched”
Adam said: “Running feels like such an innate, raw thing. I feel like it’s the one thing that we’re born to do.
“The runner’s high, it’s unmatched.
“The impact it has on your mental health is amazing, obviously for your physical health and longevity is amazing.
“The community around it is so supportive, it’s so nice.
He will be running in support of Spinal Research, a cause close to his heart after a loved one in his life discovered they had a spinal tumour that caused paralysis.
The charity funds research and treatment delivery to cure paralysis and Adam hopes to raise £2,500 for it.
Donations can be made through this link: https://2027tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/adam-mckenna