A blooming great record bid

Picture: Steve in costume at the York 10K

A world record could be broken at the ASDA Foundation Yorkshire Marathon this autumn...but maybe not by the fastest runner on the course.

York man Steve Gaughan, 47, will be an eye-catching sight when he lines up for the start of the race in his home city decked out as a single white rose.

And he aims to become the fastest man to complete a marathon while dressed as a three-dimensional plant.

Steve, a Royal British Legion case worker, has had his white rose of Yorkshire costume designed for him and is running to raise money for York Against Cancer.

He ran last year’s Yorkshire Marathon in 3hr 57min and was looking for a new challenge when he hit on the costume idea.

Inspired by a runner at last year’s London Marathon who wore a poppy outfit and covered the distance in 4.59.39, Steve approached Guinness World Records with his bid to break the record, and they accepted the challenge.

“I chose a white rose because the race takes place in Yorkshire, and it seems only right to choose a great York charity like York Against Cancer to benefit, since they have helped my friends and their families.”

He will be tackling the course with Tracy Lovett, 39, and Chris Barnes, 43, who will act as independent witnesses to verify that Steve has completed the race fairly and without help.

Chris’s workplace, building management company Pareto FM, has sponsored the effort, covering the cost of Steve’s outfit to allow all monies raised to go to YAC.

The three want to raise lots of money. “We are hoping to exceed our £1,000 target,” said Steve.

Steve tried out his costume at the Jane Tomlinson ASDA York Foundation 10K and came home in an impressive 1hr 7min. He’ll be putting the white rose through its paces again over the summer before taking on the Yorkshire Marathon in October.

You can back Steve’s world record bid on his JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/SG4-WorldRecord