Most finishers and fastest traffic cone among confirmed London Marathon records

Guinness World Records (GWR) has confirmed more than 40 records were broken at Sunday’s London Marathon, including the largest number of finishers ever.

A total of 56,640 participants crossed the finish line, beating the 55,646 set by the TCS New York City marathon in November 2024.

Additionally, 41 other GWR titles were broken from 87 attempts, including a participant dressed as a traffic cone.

Michael Wiggins, from Streatham, south-west London, clocked a time of three hours, 13 minutes and 18 seconds, beating the previous fastest marathon dressed as a traffic cone of three hours and 22 minutes.

Michael Wiggins took part in this year’s London Marathon wearing a traffic cone costume (Michael Wiggins/PA)

Somewhat of a veteran when it comes to the event as it marks the 18th year he has participated, Mr Wiggins said it felt even more “special” since it was his first attempt in fancy dress.

“It was a really special day,” the 47-year-old who works in advertising and post-production told the PA news agency.

“When you cross the finish line, they have people from GWR and they verify your time and you take a photo with a representative.

“It’s really cool to be able to say I’m a Guinness World Records holder, it was an amazing day.”

Other record breakers include Zoe Cowell-Jones, who became the new record holder for the fastest marathon by a mascot (female) and Jamie Campbell, who proved he had what it took to become the “world’s fastest shrimp” by taking home the title for the fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean (male).

It's really cool to be able to say I'm a Guinness World Records holder, it was an amazing day

Michael Wiggins

Mr Wiggins explained that running in the heat whilst in the costume is not without its challenges.

“Being in a foamy suit was not ideal for running on a warm day, so it definitely added to the challenge,” he said.

“I only did two training runs in the costume – I ran the Dartford Half Marathon in March and then I did a 20-mile training run around Battersea Park a few weeks back, just on my own, but the weather was cooler then.

“It’s the hottest I’ve ever felt running a marathon and the last 10k was a case of having to dig deep.”

He said along the course, there were fire hoses that sprayed water in the air and runners were given cups of ice, which helped to provide some light relief.

Michael Wiggins, the world’s fastest marathon runner dressed as a traffic cone, with his London Marathon medal (Michael Wiggins/PA)

He added he appreciated there being a lack of wind on race day as his costume turned into “a bit of a parachute” during the Dartford Half Marathon.

Although he was in a bit of a “daze” after the marathon, he managed to celebrate with his family and running club – the Clapham Pioneers – with a few drinks and plenty of food.

While many people watching the marathon from the sidelines were able to identify him as “the traffic cone man”, he also received other humorous nicknames.

“Carrot and rocket man were the main two,” he said.

“It’s funny because you could hear people going, ‘what’s that?’ and then someone next to them would go, ‘I think it’s a traffic cone’.

“I think someone shouted out something along the lines of ‘don’t get picked up by the lorry’.”

Michael Wiggins became a Guinness World Records holder at the London Marathon (Michael Wiggins/PA)

He said he has been inundated with congratulatory messages after his successful feat, which has also seen him raise more than £2,800 for Prostate Cancer UK.

He decided to support the charity as three of his friends have had prostate cancer in the last five years.

As for the traffic cone costume, it is currently hung over the back of a chair, with Mr Wiggins saying he doubts he will don it for another race.

“I wouldn’t go too close to it, it’s probably a bit smelly, it’s definitely sweaty,” he said.

“If I do another run in fancy dress, it would probably be cool to do something different.”

Mark McKinley, director of central records services at GWR said: “It’s amazing to see the growth of the TCS London Marathon over the last 45 events and this record marks the 18th consecutive year of our partnership, a collaboration that continues to offer runners the opportunity to add an extra challenge to their training.”

Hugh Brasher, the chief executive of London Marathon Events, the organisers of the TCS London Marathon, said: “We are thrilled to have broken the Guinness World Records title for the largest number of finishers in a marathon at yesterday’s TCS London Marathon.

“We hope the thousands of people watching the TCS London Marathon yesterday were inspired to register in the 2026 TCS London Marathon Ballot.”

For more information about Prostate Cancer UK, visit: https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker

Mr Wiggins’ fundraising page can be accessed at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/michael-wiggins-5