Record Breaker SPCC James

Trainee SPCC James achieves Guiness World Record

Congratulations to Trainee Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care (SPCC) James Leavor who achieved a Guinness World Record for running the fastest half marathon dressed as a medical professional (male). Wow! SPCC James ran the Bath Half on 16 March 2025 in his full flight suit to raise money for Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC). It was a tough race on a hot day but he completed it in a record time of 2 hours 12 minutes and 36 secs!

We asked James a few questions about his motivation for the race:

Why did you want to do a half marathon in your flight suit?

After joining GWAAC, I really wanted to do something to not only push myself physically, but also to help raise awareness of our charity. I was trying to think of something a little bit different, as lots of people run various races, often for charities. I decided to run wearing my full fire-retardant uniform, to create a visual representation of the charity, and to add a bit of difficulty and challenge myself. My final thought was... has anyone done this before, and if so, did they set a Guinness World Record for it? Well, it turns out that various people had set records for full marathons, but the path was clear to set an official record for the half marathon.

How did you prepare?

I trained with my local running club and ran near where I live. I also ran around GWAAC’s airbase before some of my late shifts. However, it wasn't really appropriate to run outdoors in a flight suit so the first long run I did in my full uniform was actually in Bath on the day!

How hard was it?

It was pretty hard. I didn't set a blistering record and I've already had lots of interest from people wanting to break it, so we'll have to see how long it lasts!

It was a really hot day, and the uniform is pretty thick. I don't think I hydrated quite well enough and didn't really optimise myself before the run. I really felt it towards the end! I set personal records in the first 5km, 10km and 15km before really dropping off a cliff for the last quarter.

How did you celebrate your Guiness World Record?

For those that don't know, being accepted for a Guinness World Record was not only a physical challenge, but a paperwork nightmare! It took several months in the lead up to the race to have it authorised as an official attempt and it has taken until November to get confirmation of the award. When it finally arrived I celebrated with my family and I brought the certificate into GWAAC to give everyone a laugh! They were quite amused by the wording of 'dressed as a medical professional' — almost like I was in fancy dress!

Do you have any more challenges up your sleeve or was once enough?

Once was enough! As I say, I suspect people will want to smash this record now it's in the open, but I will always have my certificate! I can already think of various critical care colleagues from around the region who will be wanting to beat my record, but it's open worldwide and I am excited to see who gets there first. I will continue training and might try and improve my time, but maybe I just need to do something a bit different and set a record somewhere else!

If you’ve been inspired by SPCC James and are looking for ideas of how you can fundraise for GWAAC visit our Events page.