The Guinness World Record for fastest marathon in a suit now belongs to Matthew Whitaker, a 25-year-old lawyer from North Bondi, Australia, who ran 2:44:28 at the Sydney Marathon on Sunday.
Whitaker averaged 6:16 pace while wearing a three-piece wool suit—with his top button buttoned, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
He was, however, allowed to wear running shoes.
Before Sunday, the record for fastest marathon in a suit was 2:58:03, run by Joe Elliott of Great Britain in 2013 at the London Marathon.
Whitaker wasn’t the only runner to improve upon the time. Michael Tozer also smashed the previous record, running 2:50:57, in a dapper royal blue getup. (Tozer does hold the record for half-marathon in a suit, 1:18:10, which he ran last July.)
Guinness rules stipulate that “the competitor must be wearing a full suit—jacket, waistcoats, trousers (suit pants), tie, shirt, and socks. If any article of clothing is removed, the attempt is disqualified.”
Whitaker told the Heraldhis longest training run in the suit was only 14 kilometers, or a little more than eight miles. He wore pants that were one size too big so his stride wouldn’t be restricted.
The suit is now sweat-soaked, of course. He’ll have it dry-cleaned, but he doesn’t have much hope of resurrecting it. “The more I think about it, that one might be done,” he said.
Related: Menswear Executive Runs Half Marathon Record
In recent years, the Guinness record for half marathon fell twice by runners wearing more forgiving fabrics. Not Whitaker, who was hot. “I think the three different layers caught up with me by the end of it,” he told the Herald. “I was expecting the pants to be pretty horrible, but the top half was worse in the end."
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
