A man ran 26.2 miles in a giant inflatable chicken costume; he broke a Guinness World Record while raising more than £2,200 for vulnerable children

Sebastian Burley, 36, finished the 26.2-mile course in 4:00:33 on Sunday, 26 April 2026, becoming the fastest man to complete a marathon in a full-body inflatable costume, according to Guinness World Records. Burley ran to raise money for Action for Children, a charity that protects and supports vulnerable children and young people. When The Voice reported on his run on 28 April, he had raised £2,132. Burley said the costume became incredibly hot and humid, with nowhere for the heat to escape, and that it was difficult to breathe in, let alone run in. He chose the charity partly because, as a father, he was concerned about children living in poverty. His was 1 of 38 Guinness World Records titles set or broken by participants at the 2026 London Marathon.Seb Burley London Marathon 2026: Goonhavern runner sets Guinness World Record in chicken costumeThe 2026 London Marathon was the 46th edition of the race, and Guinness World Records says 38 record titles were set or broken at the 2026 London Marathon, involving 39 record holders. Guinness says 38 record titles were set or broken during the marathon, with 39 record holders. The records covered a wide range of categories, including costume-based attempts and challenges involving different types of clothing and equipment. Burley's record appears on Guinness's official record page as the fastest marathon in a full-body inflatable costume by a male, with a time of 4:00:33. The record was achieved at the TCS London Marathon in London on 26 April 2026. Other 2026 record holders included Keyur Gudka, who ran the marathon in traditional Indian dress in 3:08:10, Simon Fannon, who knitted a 5.59-metre scarf while running in 5:48:08, and Sabastian Sawe, who set the men's marathon record with a time of 1:59:30.The 2026 list also included records for runners dressed as a three-dimensional toy, a firefighter, a camera, a clown, an electrical engineer and a sweet food, among other categories. Guinness says the London Marathon has worked with the organisation for almost 2 decades, giving runners the opportunity to attempt records while also supporting fundraising efforts.Fastest marathon in a full-body inflatable costume: how Burley’s 4:00:33 comparesBurley’s 4:00:33 translates to approximately 9 minutes 10 seconds per mile, or about 5 minutes 42 seconds per kilometre. A pre-race listing identified Arnie Delstanche as the record holder with a time of 4:07:46, meaning Burley’s finish was 7 minutes and 13 seconds faster. The physical challenge was not simply the distance. Before the marathon, Burley had described the inflatable chicken costume as becoming extremely hot and humid inside. He also said that running in windy conditions felt like running with a parachute. He had previously run in the chicken costume and was preparing to attempt the record while raising money for Action for Children. After completing the race, Burley again described the conditions inside the costume as difficult, telling The Voice: “The costume got incredibly hot and humid inside and there was nowhere for the heat and humidity to go.” He added that it was difficult to breathe in, let alone run in.Action for Children fundraising: why Burley ran the London Marathon for vulnerable childrenBurley was raising money for Action for Children, which supports children and young people through services and other forms of support. The Voice reported that he had raised £2,132 by 28 April, 2 days after the marathon. Because the amount was reported at that point in time, the total could have changed after the newspaper's report. Burley said before the marathon that he chose Action for Children partly because a close family member works for the charity. His reference to 4.5 million children reflected the government's earlier FYE 2024 estimate for relatively low income after housing costs. The latest HBAI statistics, which use an updated approach to administrative data, put the FYE 2025 figure at 4.0 million.The government's July 2026 projections estimate that 3.6 million children will be in relative low income after housing costs in the financial year ending 2030. That represents a projected reduction of 400,000 children from the FYE 2025 level. The Department for Work and Pensions stresses that these are projections under specific policy and economic assumptions, rather than forecasts of what will necessarily happen. For Burley, the marathon combined a demanding physical challenge with his fundraising goal. His 4:00:33 finish now stands as the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a full-body inflatable costume by a man, while his fundraising for Action for Children gave the attempt a separate charitable purpose.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.