A WALKERBURN athlete came close to smashing a Guinness World Record dressed as Mr Potato Head at the London Marathon on Sunday, writes Jeni Brus

Gala Harrier Bob Johnson braved sweltering conditions in the papier mache costume to cross the line just 19 minutes short of breaking the record of five hours for the fastest marathon run in a 3D replica.

He told us: “It was a fantastic atmosphere but the heat for me and the fact I was in such a confined space made it very challenging.

“I needed to hold on to the shell of the costume the entire time so was unable to move my arms when running and had water every mile to keep hydrated as there were many runners suffering from heatstroke.

“I am disappointed at not being able to break the record but the conditions were very difficult for me.”

The engineer from Walkerburn spent more than 60 hours working on the impressive costume and unveiled it at a fundraising coffee morning last weekend. 

He also took the costume to the Gala Harriers senior and junior training session on Thursday night.

Bob added: “The kids absolutely loved the costume and everyone has been so supportive.”

The runner has been flooded with messages of congratulations following his adventurous bid and has been overwhelmed by the number of donations he has received from wellwishers. 

He has raised more than £1,600 so far for The Children’s Trust via his fundraising site, which can be reached at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/potato-head

Bob was one of 40,000 people running the marathon in the capital city on Sunday. 

Seven of his Gala Harriers clubmates also completed the 26 mile course with a number recording PBs. 

Darrell Hastie finished in an impressive time of 2.36, with Joeleen Mckean crossing the line in 3.10. Gillian Duncan was next to finish in a time of 3.27, closely followed by Fiona Dalgleish in 3.29 and Kirsty Wood in 3.36. David Nightingale completed the marathon in 3.45, with Carole Fortune finishing in 3.51.