Sudbury man breaks world record for fastest London Marathon dressed as a road vehicle while other Suffolk runners finish in impressive times

A Sudbury man is celebrating after breaking a record at the London Marathon, while other Suffolk runners crossed the finish line in impressive times.

Jem Smith, 50, broke the record for the fastest man dressed as a road vehicle in the race yesterday when, sporting his VW camper van costume, he finished in four hours, 27 minutes and 52 seconds.

He raised a huge £4,640 for Hope for Tomorrow, a cancer care charity which has mobile units that travel the country to provide support.

Of his record-breaking time, Jem said: “It was amazing – I kind of knew from about five or six miles to go that I was definitely on track so I just enjoyed the last part. It was just a great day.”

Jem has competed in the London Marathon before, but said he enjoyed this one the most.

“The amount I have been able to raise is amazing. I set out to see if I could raise a few quid while doing it and it kind of snowballed,” he said.

“Suddenly people were getting involved and the charity gave me stickers to put on the van.

“Yesterday I had about £1,300 before I started, but when I got interviewed by the BBC during the race and mentioned the charity it kind of rocketed,” he added.

Anyone who still wants to donate to Jem’s fundraiser can do so, here.

The finishing times of some of the other Suffolk runners who took part in the London Marathon 2023:

Anita Morris (Newmarket) – 05:12:46

Andy Cross (Thurston) – 04:32:32

Victoria Orford (Ashfield) – 04:08:01

Jem Smith (Sudbury) – 04:27:52

Lisa Lumley (Risby) – 06:21:56

Paul Tyrrell (Tunstall) – 04:42:00