A MAN from Solihull has broken the world record for the fastest marathon dressed in a tent.
Oscar White raised nearly £1,000 for The Outward Bound Trust at the London Marathon all while dressed in his heat-containing tent suit.
Mr White, who grew up in Earlswood, Solihull, says his fundraising bid is to prevent the children of the future from becoming part of an ‘indoor generation’.
That’s why he backed the Outward Bound educational charity which takes young people on active trips and adventures around the UK.
Mr White, who works for adventure trips company Beyonk, says he adopted the name ‘Tentman’ to symbolise his commitment to an outdoor lifestyle.
He achieved the record in 3 hours 57 minutes despite the challenging circumstances.
In the wake of his record-breaking run, he posted on Facebook: “Guinness World Records *tick* Thanks so much for everyone supporting, I saw a lot of faces I’ve not seen in years out today.
“I don’t know what’s more sore, my legs or my face from smiling from all the cheering.
“I was on for 3 hours 15 mins, comfortable running, but I ended up sweating from the sauna like tent – so much so I lost all my salts and fell to the ground with full body cramps!
“A man in a kebab shop ran and got me a pint of water with salt (not sure if that even works?) and someone else gave me a salt pill (which probably works better).
“I then had around eight miles of slow grind, with the goal of just trying to finish.
“I noticed 5km out, there was a chance of still coming within the four hours and getting the World Record for Fastest Marathon Dressed In a Tent (assuming the other man trying to get the record was not in front of me).
“I ended up getting across the line at 3:57:05! Epic day out and thanks again all.
“If you haven’t yet, please sponsor for a great cause.”
On his GoFundMe donations page, he wrote: “75 per cent of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates.
“The world has changed. Parks, pools and recreational spaces are losing out to screen-time as tablets and mobiles become the new window to the world.
“The mental and physical health implications are well documented; with increasing levels of obesity indicative of a generation turning to online environments for their social interactions and development.
“Something has to give in order to proactively, rather than reactively, help young people discover the amazing benefits of getting away from their screens to explore the amazing country that we call home.”
