Marathon world record broken by Perse teacher
Perse teacher Alison Stewart has become a record-breaker with her powerful performance at the TCS London Marathon.
Biology teacher Mrs Stewart donned the outfit of Chun Li, the skilful martial artist from the Streetfighter series, as she set a Guinness World Record of 3hr 19min for the fastest marathon run dressed as a female video game character.
She smashed the previous standard by almost 30 minutes while also helping to raise almost £1,000 – double her original target – for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
It’s the second world record set by Mrs Stewart, having previously achieved the quickest time covering the 26.2-mile distance dressed as fairy tale character, Snow White, in London in 2019.
Mrs Stewart said: “I’m really pleased that it all came together on the day. It was a journey attempting the world record, it turns it into something different to just running a marathon.
“I’ve never felt as nervous because I also wanted to raise funds and awareness for EACH, so I did it quite publicly. Although this was my ninth marathon, almost only my family have known I was doing them before, so it wasn’t so much of a big deal previously.
“Also, the other two marathons I’ve done this year haven’t gone well, with things like injuries and stomach issues, so I was really hopeful not to repeat that.
“I didn’t want to disappoint my daughter either as it was her idea to attempt the world record.
“My training had gone well and the first half felt quite easy and slow, but from mile 18, it felt a long way home.
“I stayed pretty much on the pace, give or take the last three or four miles, but The Mall is where you see Buckingham Palace and there are 385 yards to go. I’ve never known 385 yards feel so long!”
There was plenty of Perse support for Mrs Stewart along the course, including from Head of Middle School Liam Woods who ran the London Marathon in aid of Mencap.
Mr Woods set a personal best of 3hr 14 min and helped to raise more than £4,500 for his chosen charity, which supports people with learning disabilities, which was well above his original goal of £2,500.
How to donate
You can still donate to Mrs Stewart and Mr Woods’ appeals by clicking the buttons below.