World Record Broken at the 2026 Phoenix Energy Belfast City Marathon

How did the idea first come to play? Was there a significant reason why you chose the screw?

I work for a company called Forgefix that distribute screws and other fixings. As a company, we have committed to raising £100,000 for prostate cancer UK. We feel we have a responsibility as people working in the construction industry are less likely to check their risk of having prostate cancer.

As part of this campaign, Nick Marshall (who also works for Forgefix) and myself agreed to run a marathon in each country of the UK to help highlight the importance of the project. The thought process was that is it a light hearted way to highlight and draw attention to such an important issue. We have therefore ran the Newport, London, Belfast and Edinburgh marathons. The campaign has been so successful, we have also been accepted to run the Dublin marathon in October.

Was the costume handmade and was there anything that surprised you on race day?

The costumes were designed and made by a company called Frenzy Creative. They had to be specially designed to meet the requirements set by Guinness World Records. In order for the costume to be accepted for a world record attempt, it needed to go below the knee and above the shoulders. It also had to cover your entire body and be made of a solid structure.

The heat that the costume generated surprised me. I was confident I could beat the world record but needed the right conditions to be able to attempt it. Fortunately the conditions in Belfast were perfect.

Did you start the race intending to beat the record, or was this a post-event realisation?

I did, I had previously tried but failed due to the heat. With the conditions on the day, I thought I had every chance of breaking the record. I also had a friend pacing me and stopping me going out too quickly.

What does this record mean to you personally?

Really pleased with the achievement, I failed on the first two attempts and was starting to doubt whether it could be achieved. Really happy to have broken the record, but more importantly in being part of such an important charity campaign.

What’s the one moment from the 2026 Phoenix Energy Belfast City Marathon you’ll never forget?

I thought the Belfast marathon was one of the best I’ve completed. The atmosphere was great and I loved running round the city. Crossing the finish line with my friend, and realising I’d broken the world record was amazing. Everyone was so friendly, I loved celebrating at the finish with everyone. Also, some people spoke to me about how important the campaign was, and shared their personal stories on how they were affected by prostate cancer. Whilst the race caused a lot of pain, it made it all seem so worthwhile. As a company, we felt that if our fundraising helped to save the life of one person, it would be worth all the hard work and effort.