A postie from Hastings is taking on the challenge of a lifetime to run this year’s TCS London Marathon dressed as a postman and carrying a postman’s sack complete with mail to raise money for Diabetes UK.
Nickolaj Kennett, 41, was inspired to take on the gruelling 26-mile challenge on Sunday, 23 April because his father has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 40 years.
As well as the fundraising, Nickolaj is going to try to beat the world record time for running a marathon dressed as a postman.
He said:
“The record is currently 3.45.06, which is a decent time when you factor in that I will have to wear full postal uniform, including trousers - which I had to order because I wear shorts rain or shine - and carry nearly 5kg of weight for the full 26.2 miles.”
Nickolaj, has been training hard, recently completing The Hastings Half Marathon as part of his training plan. He added: “Hopefully, with more research there will be more understanding and it will become easier for people to live with type 1 diabetes in the future.”
Nickolaj has a fundraising target of £500 and has a JustGiving page Nickolaj K is fundraising for Diabetes UK (justgiving.com)
Jill Steaton, Diabetes UK Head of South East Coast and London, said:
“Our work wouldn’t be possible without the determination and generosity of incredible fundraisers like Nickolaj.
“We are extremely grateful to Nickolaj for his commitment - running a marathon in ordinary running gear is hard work! The money raised will help fund ground-breaking research, care services and campaigns that can change the lives of those living with diabetes.”
The London Marathon starts in Blackheath in Greenwich and ends 26.2 miles later at Buckingham Palace. Around 38,000 people take part, raising money for their favourite causes. It takes in many of London’s famous landmarks.
For the World Record attempt, Nickolaj had to register with the Guinness World Record organisation, send photos of his outfit and then wait for approval. On the day he will meet a Guinness official and have everything checked over before and after the race, including a bag weigh.
Latest update:
Nikolaj broke the record with a time of 03:28:38, an amazing 17 minutes faster than the previous record!
He said:
"The crowds were amazing and I don't think I would have completed the race if it wasn't for people shouting "go on postie", "where's my letter?" and "you're first class" which was a favourite. I had painful cramp from just after Tower Bridge so I had to really dig deep to keep going. I didn't want to stop in front of people who had just cheered me on so it's thanks to them really!"
"On the Tuesday before the race I had an acute muscle tear in my lower back so I wasn't sure if I was going to race, let alone go for the record so crossing the line was a huge relief. I punched the air and swore loudly! I then had to wait to see where the other postman was as he was going for the record too. I got a call from my girlfriend a couple minutes after finishing saying that he wasn't within the record so the record was mine. I shed a few tears once I knew!"
