Six world records in one marathon: runners in Sydney raced in beer-can and turtle costumes

Six Guinness World Records were set in a single day at the Sydney Marathon, held on 30 August. All six applications submitted before the start were successful: runners crossed the finish line in a beer-can costume, a green turtle outfit, scout uniform and traditional Bhutanese clothing.

More than 40,000 participants from over 140 countries completed the 42.195 km distance this year. The race started at 6:15 a.m. on Miller Street in North Sydney and finished outside the Sydney Opera House. Since 2025, the event has been part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series — the seventh race in the series.

Australian runner Toby Fuller was the first of the record-holders to cross the finish line, recording a time of 3:18:01 — the fastest marathon time for a man with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of plasma cells. He was diagnosed at the age of 23, has been living with the disease for five years and continues to receive maintenance chemotherapy.

Shortly afterwards, Brisbane runner Kent Ohori claimed a record with a time of 3:28:27 in a beer-can costume. Another title went to Sydney resident Phil Brent: 3:45:52 in a green turtle costume. He ran in support of an anti-litter campaign led by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority.

The remaining three records were set as follows: Chris Fivie — 3:36:27 with a subcutaneous defibrillator, Rebecca Joyner — 3:55:37 in scout uniform, and Nilhari Bhandari — 4:07:06 in traditional Bhutanese clothing.

It is worth noting that Guinness World Records in such categories are recorded separately for each costume and each medical condition, so “world record” here means the best result in a very narrow category, rather than an absolute achievement. Overall marathon winners typically finish in just over two hours.