A Harlow man will line up at the start of the London Marathon this Sunday wearing a full suit of medieval armour, hoping to shave minutes off a world record currently held by a Frenchman.
James Dowsett, an experienced runner and triathlete, plans to cover all 26.2 miles of the course in armour to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The current Guinness World Record for a marathon run in a suit of armour stands at 4 hours and 22 minutes.
Dowsett is running for a hospital that cared for his young nephew, Beau, and a close family friend named Ruby. He said the work GOSH does for seriously ill children and their families motivated him to take on a challenge he admits sounds absurd.
“I’m running the London Marathon dressed as a knight, attempting a World Record, to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital,” Dowsett said. “So yep, that means 26.2 miles in armour. Why? Because if you’re going to suffer, I figure you might as well look ridiculous doing it.”
He was blunt about the pain ahead and equally blunt about why it is worth it.
“This is going to hurt (probably a lot), but it won’t hurt anywhere near as much as what the children and families that GOSH support face every single day,” he said. “I’ve seen first-hand the incredible work GOSH does and they have been truly outstanding in their care and support for my nephew Beau, and our very close friend Ruby. They don’t just treat children, they carry families through the hardest moments of their lives.”
Going for the record, armour and all
Breaking a Guinness World Record is a complicated process that involves strict verification, timing rules and evidence gathering. Beating the 4:22 mark would require Dowsett to average roughly 10 minutes per mile over the full distance, all while carrying the weight of steel plate and contending with the heat it traps on the body.
London has become the stage for this kind of attempt. 42 Guinness World Records fell at the 2025 edition of the race, and the event has long drawn runners willing to suffer in costume for charity, from Super Mario outfits to a refrigerator strapped to the back.
Dowsett is not pretending he is in top shape. He said he is a few years removed from his fittest form, and training in the armour has already been brutal.
“I’m not exactly in the peak athletic condition I was a few years ago. I’m a bit overweight, fairly unfit, and training for this is already proving to be painful. Like really painful,” he said. “But I’m giving it everything I’ve got, with the aim of beating the current World Record which stands at 4 hours 22 minutes, possibly a little optimistic with the armour on but sod it, we’re going for it anyway.”
