Dressing Up for Marathon Running
Fundraising and Wearing Costume Training Tips for Distance Running
Jun 29, 2008
Elite runners, serious runners and first time marathoners have all made a bold statement to increase their fundraising by wearing costume for the 26.2 miles distance of a mass participation marathon.
Fundraising in Costume in a Marathon
Batmans, blackcurrants, Captain Hooks, castles - they have all lined up at marathon start lines. A runner's decision to run a marathon in costume could be connected with securing a charity place in a high profile mass participation marathon. For someone running in a prostate cancer charity marathon place, wearing an oversized white “sperm” head and white tights, is wishing to raise awareness of the disease plus fundraising for the chosen charity’s work.
For another runner, dressing up as Superman with an elite runner’s bib attached or marathoning in a revealing short toga is a personal choice to grab spectators’ attention and cash. Runners can raise money independently online. The NMA winning website JustGivingTM , with offices in Boston, USA and London, UK has been in operation since 1999 to facilitate fundraising for individuals.
Here's how to enhance fundraising by dressing up for marathon running. Whether an organised or entrepreneurial marathon runner, this guide offer essential tips to take the drama out of wearing costume for running a marathon for the first time.
Originality and Comfort of Costume
Any runner considering running in a costume in a marathon should listen to the running experiences of others in running forums and blogs. Runners with complaints about costumes focus on costume design saying that a knockout original idea – running as an apartment building for example – does not always lead to a comfortable running outfit if designed by non-runners.
Do-It-Yourself costume built around a halterneck or backpack design would be a good start for comfort. Weight and centre of gravity of the costume will also be important to consider against the terrain of the marathon course and weather forecast.
Training Incognito
Many runners running in their city’s marathon will be asking themselves why they have never seen Bugs Bunny, the Giant Sunflower or the Sad Clown running around their blocks in training.
Once the overall weight of the costume is calculated, then most marathon runners planning a costumed run, will use a proxy (training manuals, student hard bound theses, stone) to make up the same weight in a backpack for training runs.
Promotion of Fundraising and Preparation for Media Interviews
Fundraising for a well-established charity or independently through JustGivingTM will bring a certain level of public recognition of the marathon effort. The runner's name and charities can be displayed over any costume. With enough time, runners can tell their story for the marathon’s website, national news online journalists and importantly have sound bites ready for camera or radio crews present on the day.
Safety
Safety in long distance running is important to all runners. Essential attention to keeping adequately hydrated for external and internal conditions of wearing a costume needs to be planned and practiced before race day.
Mike King in "Costume Drama" writes, “Use material that won’t dissolve or grow heavy with rain or sweat…If you have restricted arm movement or access to your mouth, carry water, energy gels or bars and medication inside your outfit” (Runners World, April 2006).
Estimating a Finishing Time and Feelings of Other Runners
Running in costume or with proxy weight during training is a sound basis from which to calculate an electronic chip finishing time. Some marathon organisers insist that runners in costume start after a time gap at the back of the running pack for runner’s safety and for spectator interest.
Further along the course when first time marathoners may have started walking after setting out too fast, imagine the psychological setback of being overtaken by a furry cherry waving back at them. Back-of-the-pack finishers – without and with costumes – get the biggest cheers from spectators. So Captain Hook may like to swashbuckle alongside other runners and gee them up along the course before overtaking.
Reusing Running Outfit
Once the marathon is finished, the medal and the money collected – can a runner reuse their successful running outfit? Such a unique look may be best suited as a one-off for that marathon and be packed away (after laundering if possible) for reminiscence.
All runners who found that running in a costume enhanced their fundraising can start thinking of their next design.
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