Most marathon runners simply hope to finish in one piece. Archie Hunt wanted to finish fast while wearing little more than a cape and underpants. Dressed as Captain Underpants, the beloved children’s book hero, he ran the London Marathon in 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 41 seconds, beating a record that had stood since 2012 and was held by a runner dressed as Dracula. Here’s how, what Guinness World Records requires, how Hunt trained while working at a law firm, and why his run also carried a serious and personal message about heart health.
How Archie Hunt broke the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a book character
Roll on Friday reported that Hunt, a trainee at the law firm Milbank, set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon dressed as a book character when he ran the London Marathon as Captain Underpants. Guinness World Records lists the achievement under the title for the fastest marathon dressed as a book character in the male category, with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 41 seconds, set in London on 26 April 2026. It was one of 38 Guinness World Records titles achieved by participants at the event. Legal Cheek had reported earlier in April that Hunt was aiming to finish in under 2 hours 30 minutes in full costume.
The 2 hour 27 minute 41 second finish beat the 2012 Dracula costume record
The previous record, set in 2012 by a runner dressed as Dracula, stood at 2 hours, 42 minutes, and 17 seconds. Legal Cheek notes that Hunt shaved about 15 minutes off the previous time. For most runners, even a finish under three hours is a career highlight, so a time under 2 hours 30 minutes in a costume is remarkable. Hunt said he finished in the top 0.1 per cent at one of the sport’s World Major marathons, something he still found hard to believe.
Image: Dav Pilkey/Scholastic
Why Hunt chose Captain Underpants as his choice of book character for the run
Hunt told Roll on Friday that his choice of costume came backwards, he found the record first and then worked out the costume. Captain Underpants fit well because he is a popular children’s book character, which suited the children’s charity Hunt was supporting; he is loved by Hunt’s younger brother, and he is funny. The rules require that the costume originate in a book. Characters that began in a cartoon, a film, or a television show, or that count as superheroes, belong to separate categories. Legal Cheek adds that the attempt also demands strict adherence to costume guidelines, official timing data, witness statements, and photographic evidence. Hunt joked that the skimpy outfit helped prevent chafing, though a persistent wedgie after mile 17 balanced that out. He also admitted he barely tested the costume beforehand, apart from a few jumps in the garden.
How a trainee solicitor trained about 155 kilometres a week for 16 weeks
The record was no accident. Hunt said he trained for 16 weeks, averaging about 155 kilometres a week, along with strength work. He had run roughly 350 laps of Regent’s Park that year, and the preparation was not smooth; he had calf trouble in the final weeks and woke up with a cold the Friday before the race. Legal Cheek says he balanced this with life at a top law firm, including early morning runs of more than 20 kilometres before work. His advice to others is to build up slowly, since his own progress took about two years of steady training, and to favour discipline over motivation. For anyone chasing a Guinness World Record, he suggests picking something that plays to your strengths, reading the rules carefully, and choosing a challenge you will still find funny deep into the race.
Archie Hunt is an Associate (tax) at Milbank LLP (Image: Archie Hunt/LinkedIn)
Running with dilated cardiomyopathy , the heart condition behind his charity fundraising
Hunt ran to raise money for Evelina London Children’s Charity, which is linked to the hospital where he receives treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently. He has noted that the condition can add 10 to 15 minutes to a marathon time. Hunt said he is proud to be the fastest recorded marathon runner diagnosed with the condition, and that he wants to raise awareness because his own diagnosis came later than it should have. He hopes his story shows others with serious heart conditions that a diagnosis does not have to define their limits. Hunt told Roll on Friday that he sees the charity’s work first-hand because he visits the hospital a couple of times a month, which made the fundraising an easy decision.
What comes next for Archie Hunt after the record
Hunt has no plans to stop. He said a 110-kilometre ultramarathon in Finland is next, and his long-term goal is to finish a marathon in under 2 hours 20 minutes, even if that takes time and means finding a coach other than himself. He also plans to run the Tromso Midnight Sun marathon in June. The co-managing partners of Milbank’s London office congratulated him and said the firm could not be prouder.
