A TRIO of Winchester men completed the London Marathon while dressed as a giant crown.
Shoemaker and designer Paul Bennett, 46, banker Justin Corrie, 51, and architect Anton Ambrose, 48, made their world record running attempt on Saturday, April 28.
The three men hoped to break the Guinness world record for “fastest marathon in a three-person costume”.
The team was led by Paul, who already holds the world record for the fastest marathon in ski boots and the fastest marathon in large shoes.
He designed the costume with aid from Justin and Anton, as well as selecting the group’s charity of choice the Worshipful Company of Patten Makers.
One of London's livery companies, it has a key focus on its charitable work, particularly its focus on supporting the military, as well as having affiliations with all the services. The Pattenmakers specialises in supporting injured veterans by supplying them with bespoke orthopaedic footwear to increase their quality of life.
Paul said: “We ran the entire 26.2-mile marathon course in our ‘Crown’ costume not only in memory of our beloved Queen but also in excitement for the forthcoming King's Coronation this year.”
The gold crown costume, measuring 2m wide, proved cumbersome and challenging to carry and run with. Despite this, the trio completed the marathon, and while they didn’t break the Guinness World record, they have raised more than £7,000 for the chosen charity, with the page still open for donations.
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Justin said: “Running a marathon as a trio carrying the golden crown was an incredible experience. On reflection, it was a crazy idea and I found it extremely tough going, it became about survival. I turned to Paul and Anton after 16 miles and said ‘I need to walk, is that ok?’ to which they replied “No’, so we just carried on! I really had to dig in, it was about survival. The crowd was amazing, I’ll never forget it.
“Thank you to everyone who has sponsored and supported us.”
Justin, Paul and Anton are currently recovering from their attempt and are looking forward to the upcoming coronation celebrations.
For more information or to donate to their fundraising page, visit 2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/paul-bennett.
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