8 in an attempt to set new Guinness World Records

Drag queens, inflatable sharks, wedding cake and all manner of weird and wonderful costumed runners will take on the 2024 London Marathon in an attempt to set new Guinness World Records.

This year, there will be 90 runners gunning for 79 record titles on race day. Among those is Stephen Salmon, a British Army Veteran from Essex, who hopes to beat his own Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a non-racing wheelchair. His record to beat is 02:56:07.

Running for Terrence Higgins Trust, a HIV and sexual health charity, Ryan Walkett will set out to beat the 04:00:00 record for the fastest marathon dressed as a drag queen.

Gus Fraser, an AI consultant by day and DJ by night, will be running with his decks in hope of beating the 05:00:00 record for the fastest marathon while DJ-ing.

In the women's record attempts, there's Laura Baker, who works in marketing for a wedding planning app. Staying true to brand, she will run dressed as a wedding cake. Her current PB stands at 03:35:00. Baker will compete to beat the record for the fastest marathon dressed as a sweet food which sits at 4:12:18.

Paramedic Caroline Duncan is going for the fastest marathon dressed in a flight suit. She is no stranger to endurance with eight Ironmans and three marathons under her belt already. However, this is her first race donning a heavy flight suit complete with boots and a helmet. The record to beat is 05:00:00.

Georgina Box is pulling out her shark costume to compete for the record in the fastest marathon in a full-body inflatable costume. 05:30:00 is the time she must beat. This is not only a personal challenge for Box, she also wants to bring joy to the runners around her.

What's more, 22-time marathoner Laura Bird will be taking on the 26.2 mile course with a fridge attached to her back. To take home the record for the fastest marathon carrying a household appliance, she will need to clock sub six hours. Bird is the first woman to attempt the extremely physically challenging fridge-carrying record.

The legs on the bus go run, run, run. Aiming to take the record for the fastest marathon in a ten-person costume, Jackie Scully, Frances Walker, Petr Maslov, Aileen Rice-Jones, Daniel Smith, Alex Weight, James Read, Kate Rham, Cameron Sharpe and Michael Edwards will run in a red bus costume – a London icon for an iconic London event. Each person in the bus is driven by a personal reason and will be dressed as an 'everyday hero' from doctors to zookeepers.