A man is in training to run the London Marathon dressed as a giant poo emoji in the hope of setting a new world record.
Tom Hall will pound the capital’s pavements in April in the fancy dress costume and is hoping to raise money for charity while setting a world record for running as an emoji.
The 29-year-old from Newchapel near Kidsgrove, Staffordshire was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2013 and is running to raise funds for the charity that has helped him with his health, Crohn’s and Colitis UK. He said he picked the poo costume as it was the one that he can most relate to thanks to his condition, and it was the one most relevant to the cause he is representing.
“It will be fun,” he said. “I think it will be a good laugh. I’ve always run a bit as a hobby but nothing like this.”
He was diagnosed with the illness nearly 10 years ago and said his symptoms included pain when eating. His weight has dropped to as low as nine stone. He had surgery in 2016 to remove part of his bowel, which he said helped to make the symptoms more manageable and he turned to running to get himself strong and healthy.
But the keen runner has only taken on half-marathons so far, making London Marathon his biggest challenge yet. He wants to raise a minimum of £2,500.
He said: “If you spoke to people about it five or 10 years ago, they probably wouldn’t have known what it was. But everybody is so much more aware of it now. Everyone seems to know someone who has Crohn’s or colitis.”
To set the Guinness World Record, he would need to complete the event in three hours and 40 minutes.
In preparation, Mr Hall began a 16-week training plan on New Year’s Day, which consists of five runs a week.
He added: “It will be amazing, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m not really nervous about it but that might change on the day."
