Centipedes To Chase World Record

14 JAN2011

Manchester-based Ed Pond is planning his first marathon at London in just three months. The furthest the 30 year old has run before in a race is 10k however he's not content with the simple challenge of completing the classic 26.2 mile distance. Ed is hoping, in company with 40 plus other people, to be part of a world record-breaking team.

Ed and friends are making a concerted attempt on the world record for running a marathon with the most number of people tied together. The current record is 34 and the team, who are running on behalf of Scope, are aiming for at least 50 (so that they have 100 legs and can be called a centipede).

Currently the Scope team has found over 40 willing participants including Ian Black, a former chair of the charity. The team are hoping to raise £100,000 for Scope, the charity that supports disabled people and their families. However Ed Pond wants to recruit another dozen runners so that the team can start out on race day as a genuine 'centipede'. Runners will be harnessed and will run in pairs, 1.5 metres apart.

Among the many challenges that the world record attempt will face is keeping a 'snake' of people running at a consistent pace, ensuring all starters finish, and the tricky question of drinks/toilet breaks. Ed is hoping that the team can at least equal the time achieved by the present record-holders - 5 hours 15 minutes.

Training for the team starts in earnest this weekend in Aldershot with the first group session taking place. It is anticipated that most of the group training will take place in the south of England. Progress will be reviewed when the team undertakes a trial run at the adidas Silverstone Half Marathon on March 6.

If you would like to be part of the 'centipede' world record attempt contact scottishrunningguide.com and we'll put you in touch with the team management.