A RUNNER has won his place in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest person dressed in a full clown outfit to complete a marathon.

Paul Fernandez, from Radley, near Abingdon, completed the Gloucester Marathon in two hours 50 minutes 44 seconds earlier this year, but has only been able to claim the record since receiving a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records on Wednesday.

The Abingdon Amblers runner, who teaches biology at Radley College, now wants to be the fastest marathon runner dressed as Elvis, which he’ll attempt at the Edinburgh Marathon on May 31.

The 35-year-old said: “It is a relief to have had the attempt ratified, I was dreading someone beating my record at the London Marathon and then me not being issued a certificate at all.

“Hopefully my picture will appear in the 2010 book of records, but I won’t know for a while, maybe not even until it comes out.”

“Elvis is definitely the next stage. I am going for it at Edinburgh later this month. This will be a bit harder as the record currently stands at two hours, 52 minutes and 55 seconds.

“I already have the costume and wig. I have been told it is ‘1975 Elvis’, which is the year after I was born. It is a bit tight, but I am hoping that might mean less chafing over 26.2 miles.”

Mr Fernandez, who notched a personal best marathon time of two hours and 39 minutes at last year’s Abingdon Marathon, has not rested on his laurels since his clown run in January.

He said: “I have run a few races since then, the biggest ones being the ‘Barry 40’, which is 40 miles around a track in Barry. This took four hours 40 minutes and conditions were pretty poor with sun, rain, hail and strong winds.

“At one point I tried to put my spare socks on as gloves and it took 200 metres to pull each one on with my fingers being so numb.

“I also ran London Marathon — this time dressed as a runner. I did OK, but the heat took its toll later on and I finished 192nd with a time of 2hr 40min 34sec.”

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk