Running a marathon in fancy dress? Here’s what you should know.

Thinking about running a marathon in a fancy dress? Or are you wondering why they set themselves this challenge?

Do runners in fancy dress keep featuring in your professional photos? 

We are going to let you know some of the reasons why runners may choose to do this and all the tips and tricks when it comes to running in a fancy dress costume. 

So why do it? 

Running a marathon in fancy dress is a great way to raise money for a charity. Running in fancy dress also raises the charity’s profile as thousands of spectators and runners are more likely to see your costume and the charity’s logo. This may even lead spectators and runners to look up the charity and donate!

Some runners complete their marathon in fancy dress due to the sense of achievement they feel afterwards as well as being part of something bigger when running for a charity (RunABC, 2022).

 

Running in fancy dress, very often means you will need to add a weekly weighted long run to your already challenging 16 – 20 week marathon training plan.

 

For example, in 2018, Dave Garvin ran the Melbourne Marathon with a 20kg washing machine on his back! He raised money and awareness for youth mental health service, Headspace (Bateman, 2018). 

 

Dave said, “It’s my way of getting out there and doing something different,” to 9News (Bateman, 2018). 

 

There is nothing quite like setting yourself a goal to run 42.2km carrying an extra 20kg or more to make your training a little more challenging. If you are feeling like you want to add a little extra to your training, why not try to run a marathon in fancy dress? Maybe even raising money for a charity close to your heart at the same time!

 

Other runners set themselves the challenge to break a world record. Read more about Ben Evan’s journey on running a marathon in a T-Rex costume in 3h 08minutes (Evans, 2018)! Ben also raised £2000 for Aids Research! 

Tips for running in Fancy Dress

Before you set off on the big day, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for the race due to wearing a fancy dress.

1. Do a few training runs in your outfit

It is very important you train in your fancy dress ahead of the big event (Real Buzz, 2022). Fancy dress ideas are rarely made for running 42.2km, so we need to make sure we can actually run it in and if we cannot, figure out what we need to do to run easier in it. 

This could either be by altering the outfit itself, cutting a few holes in it to make sure you can breathe, see and move your legs. Or by altering your training slightly to get used to carrying extra weight with you. Watch how Dave Gavin prepared for his challenge. 

One thing is doing Couch to Marathon but another is doing Couch to Marathon in fancy dress, the difference is it will probably be even more challenging due to the extra weight and the lack of ease of moving around and breathability! Like any race day outfit, make sure the first time you wear it is not race day! 

2. Lube up

Chafing is caused by friction as your skin rubs against itself, or clothing (McGuire, 2013). Your fancy dress costume may cause this friction which will be very uncomfortable and no one wants to run a marathon with nasty chafing. Avoid this by lubing up with Vaseline or specific anti-chafe products. For more, visit The best anti-chafing products for runners. 

3. Wear activewear underneath

Mowatt from Runners World (2016) suggests wearing a dry-fit or short-sleeved technical running top underneath to help reduce sweat saturation, plus a headband to keep sweat away from  your eyes.

4. Is it weather proof? 

Is your costume waterproof? Will running be impossible if your costume gets wet? 

Another weather condition to think about is the wind. Will your costume be a risk hazard in windy conditions to yourself and the people around you? What about if it is a really hot day? Are you likely to get overheated in your fancy dress? 

These are all questions you should find an answer when out on your training runs ahead of race day. 

5. Looking to break a World Record

Is breaking a world record one of your objectives? If so, congratulations and best of luck from all of us at Coopah!

Just something to consider, is that you will need to be at an officially sanctioned race, certified by a national athletic governing body for example, UK Athletics to qualify for a Guinness World Records title (McKinley, 2019). 

For more check, 10 tips for attempting a marathon record in fancy dress. 

6. Fuelling Strategy 

Running a marathon in fancy dress, very often comes with one guarantee. You will sweat more than if you were to run in your more traditional and breathable running gear. This means you need to take on more fluids in a fancy dress. So in your 12 – 20 week training plan make sure you practise how you will fuel yourself, as this is a critical area to get right on race day to perform to your best and enjoy the full Marathon day experience. 

For more on how to your fuel your body, read the following: 

• How to Fuel a Marathon From Beginning to End (Schlichter, 2021)
• How to fuel a marathon (Morton, 2013)  

7. If you are running for a charity, make sure their logo is clear!

It is very important your chosen charity’s logo is clear and visible for all to see. During training, you will have raised a lot for your charity but event day is a huge opportunity to raise even more money for their cause. 

 

Spectators and fellow runners may see you running and your effort and want to donate to the charity, therefore by ensuring they can see the logo, they can donate with ease.

Ready to take on the challenge?

Download our app today and start training for your next big challenge! 

Coopah Community will be with you all the way!

References

Evans, B., 2018. How To Break A Guinness Marathon World Record (In Fancy Dress). Huffington Post. [online]. Available at: 

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-to-break-a-guinness-marathon-world-record-in-fancy-dress_uk_5a51fffce4b0f9b24bf3182c [Accessed 25th May]

Bateman, P., 2018. Melbourne Marathon: Man to run 42km with washing machine on his back for charity. 9news [online]. Available at: https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-man-runs-marathon-with-washing-machine-on-back/ba5ed903-8614-4fa2-a8af-b3149a3ff3fb#:~:text=Running%20a%20marathon%20is%20hard,nothing%20to%20do%20with%20cleanliness [Accessed 18th May 2022]

McGuire, J., 2013. The Best Anti-chafing products for runners. Runner’s World. [online]. Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/a769512/gear-pick-anti-chafing-products/?utm_campaign=buffer&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=bufferb756a [Accessed 20th May 2022]

McKingley, M. 2019. 10 tips for attempting a marathon record in fancy dress. Guinness World Records [online]. Available at:

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/4/10-tips-for-attempting-a-marathon-record-in-fancy-dress-569060 [Accessed 18th May 2022]

Morton, 2013. How to fuel a marathon. Runner’s World [online]. Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/marathon/a769498/how-to-fuel-a-marathon/ [Accessed 18th May 2022] 

Real Buzz. 2022. Tips For Running A Marathon In Costume. Real Buzz [online]. Available at: https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/fundraising/article/tips-for-running-a-marathon-in-costume/  [Accessed 17th May 2022].

RunABC, 2022, Run Talk: Fancy (Dress) Footwork. RunABC [online]. Available here: https://runabc.co.uk/we-discover-why-fancy-dress-running-is-a-big-deal-at-uk-events [Accessed 19th May 2022]

Runners World, 2021. 9 tips for running in fancy dress. Runner’s World [online]. Available at: 

https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a775283/9-tips-for-running-in-fancy-dress/ [Accessed 25th May 2022]

Schlichter, S. 2021. How to Fuel a Marathon From Beginning to End. Women’s Running [online]. Available at: https://www.womensrunning.com/training/road/dietitians-offer-top-marathon-fueling-tips/ [Accessed 17th May 2022]