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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Patrick Barkham

Am I a deluded attention-seeker? Why I’m running the London Marathon dressed as a badger

A man dressed up as a badger in a field full of flowers with his arms stretched out
‘Why was this a good idea?’ … Patrick Barkham dresses up a badger for the London Marathon. Photograph: Joshua Bright/The Guardian

Delusion. That’s the crucial prerequisite for running a marathon in fancy dress, according to the ultramarathon competitor and cancer survivor Jonathan Acott, who is attempting the fastest marathon dressed in a clanking suit of armour.

So that’s what it was when I decided to run this year’s London Marathon dressed as a badger. I’ve run a marathon once before, 19 years ago. I hated the suffering. I injured myself. And now I’m 51. Why was this a good idea?

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