Joan Pons Laplana, a nurse working for Health Education England, ran the London Marathon after finding running while working on the NHS ICU frontline during the pandemic.
After months of training, runs and fundraising with a new, improved pint costume, he has broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest pint to run the London Marathon.
WE DID IT!!
“On Sunday, against all odds, I became the fastest pint of the universe at the 2022 London Marathon.
“It was a nail-biting race against the clock. On occasion, I thought the world record was slipping away, but at the end thanks to the crowds and the amazing support (and shouting) from my incredible partner Lucy, I managed to cross the line with 67 seconds to spare.
“The race started with perfect weather conditions, no rain and no sunshine but around mile 17 the sun came out and I hit the wall. The temperatures inside the costume were rising and my pace slowed but somehow I recovered and managed to speed up slightly in last 6 miles and even do a little sprint to the finish line.
I still can’t believe we managed to do it!! I am chuffed to bits.“Guinness World Records have been in contact and I should have my official certificate in next few weeks.
I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who got behind this crazy challenge. It has been 18 months of hard work. I want to especially thank Lucy, my partner, for being there during all the training and especially in the difficult moments when I was ready to give up.“What’s Next? On Sunday 9th October, we will be doing the Manchester Half thanks to the invitation from one our main sponsors Ailuna. I think it will be a mixing of running and walking and of course celebrating!!
“Then there has been a slight change of plans. We have decided not to run the Yorkshire Marathon on 16th October and instead we will be doing the Chesterfield 10km in our hometown. It will be the perfect occasion to go around Chesterfield thanking people for all their support. It will be like a long lap of honour around all the streets that have seen me running in last few months.
“Lucy and I are already planning our challenge for next year in support of Ashgate Hospice. I would love you to support our challenges next year.“So far we have nearly reached the £5000 mark. It’s amazing.”
Joan Pons Laplana
Project Choice Area Manager for Sheffield and Doncaster
“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing service.
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Each character we have ordered has been of incredible quality and detail and have been well received by everyone who sees them. All of the staff are incredibly helpful and a delight to work with and no doubt we will be using them as often as we can again in the future.”
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