Bristol runner sets new world record dressed as unicorn at London Marathon

A 30 year old man from Bristol set a new world record dressed as a unicorn at the London Marathon, while raising over £1,400 for children’s charity Jessie May.

Andrew Taylor, from Yate, broke the Guinness World Record for ‘the fastest marathon dressed as a mythical creature (male)’ on Sunday (28th April) in 3:58:05.

He took on the challenge to set the new record and boost funds for children’s hospice at home charity Jessie May, raising £1,423.22 for the cause.

Andy, who became a father to twins Evelyn and Jackson in December (2018), has ran 4 marathons previously, including the London Marathon twice.

The owner of Blast Fitness gym in Yate, who proposed to his now wife Charlotte on the finish line of the London “What a day Sunday turned out to be. Congratulations to all the other Jessie May runners, I hope they all had a successful day too.

“Fancy dress had to be the best decision I’ve ever made, the crowds were phenomenal, there was a Mexican wave of screams the whole way round. I’ve done London twice before, but never known an atmosphere like this was.

“I spent the first 20 miles smiling, laughing and waving the whole time. The last 6 were pretty tough. I knew how close I was to the record so had to really dig deep and persevere through the burning and the cramps. With about 800m to go I was pretty sure I had the record in the bag so I chucked in a little sprint finish just to be sure.

“The feeling of crossing the line was unreal. I made great friends with many other record breakers too. I felt a bit dizzy and sick for a few hours after, but by 6pm was settled in a pub with a mixed grill and a lager!”Marathon in 2014, said: 

Helen Mackie, Senior Community Events Fundraiser at Jessie May, said: “We are so proud of Andy – what a magical achievement! We are thrilled he set the new world record and absolutely loved his unicorn attire!

“Andy also smashed his £1,000 fundraising target for Jessie May which is incredible. Every penny of the £1,423.22 raised will help our nurses continue to provide their vital support to families in their homes. Thank you so, so much Andy for your amazing support.

“We’d also like to say a huge thank you to all our other fantastic London Marathon runners! What a team!”

You can still sponsor Andy’s fundraising via his Virgin Money Giving page at: https://bit.ly/2ZuBlru