Cornish man completes London Marathon as a tractor
Michael Barrett was sponsored by the manufacturer of the tractor that his costume was based on.
Barrett, from Duloe, drew inspiration for his costume from his Kubota M7-154 tractor [Michael Barrett] A Cornish dairy farmer has completed the 2026 TCS London Marathon dressed as a tractor. Michael Barrett said he was attempting to break the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a heavy duty vehicle (male); as well as raising money for charity, which saw him get sponsorship from the manufacturer of the tractor that his costume was based on. Barrett ultimately crossed the finish line about 30 minutes behind the 2021 record of 4 hours 50 minutes and 54 seconds, in part due to what he called a "costume malfunction".
He said: "It was tough. It was very hot, which didn't help, but it was very enjoyable. " Barrett, from Duloe, near Liskeard, drew inspiration from his Kubota M7-154 tractor and used bath panels from his bathroom renovation to create a lightweight costume.
The bath panels were attached to an aluminium frame, with bucket lids as wheels, a roof panel, exhaust pipe, and completed with an orange flashing LED beacon. He said: "I had a swimming pool rubber ring around my waist to stop the costume from swinging around too much and that got a puncture about 4. 5 miles [7.
2km] in. "I'm not sure how much it affected things, but it affects you mentally. " He said: "The record was four hours and 50 minutes.