Four runners believe they have broken the world record for completing a half-marathon while joined together in a caterpillar costume.
Matthew Athersmith, 36, Eddie Evans, 30, Andrew Cairns, 33, and Jimmy Craig, 36, finished the 13.1 mile (21.1km) Manchester Half Marathon in one hour and 14 minutes on Sunday and said they were awaiting official recognition from Guinness World Records.
The friends, from Skipton in North Yorkshire, also raised money for the mental health charity Andy’s Man Club in memory of one of Matthew’s friends who died three years ago.
Matthew said: “Darren was so loved by everyone; we just didn’t know what was going on beneath the surface.”
Matthew added: ”It’s OK to talk, and people shouldn’t suffer in silence. We all would have tried to help.”
The group of friends said their caterpillar costume, stitched together by a family friend called Tracey, had to be robust, recognisable, and tough enough to survive the race before thousands of spectators.
”We added fruit to the side to honour the Very Hungry Caterpillar and make sure it was built to last,” said Matthew.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a popular children’s book which features a caterpillar with a voracious appetite for delicious food.
One of the four mates who ran the race, Jimmy Craig, had additional motivation to press for a record time.
He kept his phone in his pocket throughout while his heavily pregnant wife watched on.
”We joked about me getting the train back if she went into labour,” Matthew said.
The team said they were so grateful to the people of Greater Manchester for their support.
”The crowd was unbelievable – we didn’t know what to expect but it exceeded everything.”
