Break a record at a marathon

Guinness World Records provides marathon fun runners with the chance to become official record holders at a number of events around the world:

Apply for a record

TCS London Marathon 2025

Once again, Guinness World Records and the TCS London Marathon joined forces for a day of sports and record-breaking.

Taking place next April (Sunday, 27 April 2025), the TCS London Marathon 2025 is already record-breaking: it smashed the record for the most ballot entries for a marathon event, racking up a whopping 840,318 entries.

Prepare to break a record at the TCS London Marathon 2025!
Submit your record application before:
9 February 2025, 17:00 GMT

Whether you're looking to add an extra challenge to your race, running in a costume or raising awareness for a charity close to your heart, we can't wait to see what record you will break!

What are you waiting for? Secure your spot via the marathon, apply for a record here and get ready to make history.

fastest marathon with an ileostomy pic

TCS Sydney Marathon, presented by ASICS

Sydney runners, get ready to break a record!

With an exciting comeback, Guinness World Records partnered up once again with the TCS Sydney Marathon, presented by ASICS. The event took place on Sunday, 15 September 2024.

Attempting to break a record in Sydney adds an extra challenge to one of the most scenic marathon courses in the world. It gives ambitious runners the chance to put their training to the test while enjoying the view of iconic Australian landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Split header picture with adjudicator

Please note that you need to secure your spot at the event.
Marathon entries are NOT available through Guinness World Records.

BMW Berlin Marathon

The 2024 edition marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic marathon, and what better way to celebrate than by breaking some records?
That's why the BMW Berlin Marathon and Guinness World Records teamed up again for a weekend full of sports, fun and record-breaking feats - both on inline skates and during the traditional race.

Read more about the incredible runners who smashed or set records during the BMW Berlin Marathon 2024.

The 2025 edition of the BMW Berlin Marathon will take place on Sunday, 21 September 2025. Entries are allocated on the marathon's website, via a lottery open from 7 October to 21 November 2024.

So you want to break a record at a marathon...

All the required data of the runners taking part in a multiple-person Guinness World Records attempt must be submitted to the Guinness World Records team before the deadline.

These include:

full name
email
date of birth
gender
record attempted
predicted finishing time
photograph of the proposed costume

Please note that we will only accept respectful costumes.

On the day of the event, if your attempt and costume have been approved, you will be notified on how to meet the Guinness World Records team for a costume check before your race begins.

For each marathon event, an adjudicator will be at the finish line to tell you whether you have successfully achieved the record you are attempting.

This is usually a paid-for service.

However, for these special occasions, the verification will be carried out for free.

Please note that in order to apply for a record, you must have secured a spot at your chosen marathon. Spots for the marathon are not available via Guinness World Records.

Getting ready for a marathon?
Check out our costume guidelines and criteria, and make sure that your costume is ready for the big day:

guidelines for costume marathons

An official Guinness World Records attempt is a great way of enhancing your marathon experience, with the option of raising awareness and money for charity.

Join all the runners who have broken marathon records worldwide in the past editions. Who knows, you might make history!

On-going application deadlines:

TCS London Marathon 2025: 9 February 2025, 17:00 GMT

How to apply

For your application to be considered, you will need to include the following:

A record title and full description of the Guinness World Records attempt
You must include a photograph of your proposed costume with the application
A projected finish time in your costume of choice, so that runners can be assigned to the correct entry wave
Dimensions of the costume or object that is to be worn or carried (including height, width, depth and weight)
Applicant’s unique running number allocated via ballot-place confirmation, through a charity or other guaranteed means of entry
Projected finish time in the costume you want to wear
Should your application be successful, you will be asked to submit a complete biography form. We request a biography so that a complete profile is available of each runner for our own channels and media use
If the record title you wish to run for doesn’t exist on our website, you can suggest a new title. Please note that runners will not be charged the £5 fee as stated at the beginning of the process. If you have any questions, please make a new application with your proposed title and image of the costume for our records manager to review