Local man aims to break world record in London Marathon

Mr Mumford’s unique attire is an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.

Given the marathon’s significant difficulty, his whimsical endeavour has piqued the curiosity of spectators and fellow participants alike.

“I’ve been a supporter of the charity WaterAid for many years,” explains Marcus, “and they have various costumes that can be borrowed to help with fundraising.

“One of them is a toilet and another is a tap. 10 years ago I decided to see if there was a world record for running a marathon while dressed as a toilet and at the time there wasn’t so I thought I’d have a go at setting one.

“The London Marathon is an amazing experience for everyone but when you’re in fancy dress the support from the crowds goes into overdrive! There were three of us lined up as toilets going for the record that year but I managed to finish as the fastest and my record of 2 hours 57 minutes and 28 seconds still stands to this day.

“That experience of setting a record and being the fastest toilet was something I will always treasure but now, 10 years later, I’m ready to try for another record and have chosen the tap costume. This time there is an existing time to beat that was set in 2016 by Thomas Langdown and stands at 3 hours 29 minutes and 55 seconds. It’s a very tough target for what is quite a bulky costume but I’m hoping I can beat it.”

If you’d like to support Marcus’s fundraising attempt then donations can be made online at tinyurl.com/fastest-tap.