Marathon Marvel: Popular Costume Leaves Animals Puzzled

This weekend’s London Marathon is set to be as lively as ever, with fancy dress a key feature of the event. Among the participants gearing up for the race is Georgie Box, who will be running dressed as a shark. Georgie, from Stratford-upon-Avon, is fundraising for the homelessness charity Shelter and wanted to combine a fun challenge with spreading joy.

Training for the marathon is tough enough, but Georgie’s shark costume has added its own set of difficulties. She’s had to make several adjustments to her outfit, which can get quite hot and obstruct her vision. Despite these challenges, Georgie remains optimistic and has experienced mixed reactions from the public. While people are enthusiastic about her costume, dogs have been known to bark and chase her, adding an extra layer of difficulty to her training.

Another runner, Laura Baker, will be tackling the marathon in a wedding cake costume. Training in her costume has proven to be a challenge, especially as she tries to avoid drawing too much attention in her village park. Laura is raising money for the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation and hopes to break the record for the fastest marathon runner dressed as a sweet food. She will need to beat the time set by Anna Bassil, who completed the marathon as a cupcake in 2021.

Both Georgie and Laura have largely trained without their costumes but are hopeful that the excitement of race day will help them push through. Georgie is aiming for the fastest time in an inflatable full-body costume, a record currently held by Steven Waters, who ran as a pterodactyl. Guinness World Records will have a team on-site to verify numerous attempts at setting new records during the marathon.

Despite the hurdles, Georgie is looking forward to the race, hoping for some support and high-fives from fellow runners as she makes her way through the course.