Cornish man completes London Marathon as a tractor

Barrett, from Duloe, drew inspiration for his costume from his Kubota M7-154 tractor [Michael Barrett]

A Cornish dairy farmer has completed the 2026 TCS London Marathon dressed as a tractor.

Michael Barrett said he was attempting to break the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a heavy duty vehicle (male); as well as raising money for charity, which saw him get sponsorship from the actual manufacturer of the tractor that his costume was based on.

Barrett ultimately crossed the finish line about 30 minutes behind the 2021 record of 4 hours 50 minutes and 54 seconds, in part due to what he called a "costume malfunction".

He said: "It was tough. It was very hot, which didn't help, but it was very enjoyable."

Barrett, from Duloe, near Liskeard, drew inspiration from his Kubota M7-154 tractor and used bath panels from his bathroom renovation to create a lightweight costume.

The bath panels were attached to an aluminium frame, with bucket lids as wheels, a roof panel, exhaust pipe, and completed with an orange flashing LED beacon.

He said: "I had a swimming pool rubber ring around my waist to stop the costume from swinging around too much and that got a puncture about 4.5 miles [7.2km] in.

"I'm not sure how much it affected things, but it affects you mentally."

He said: "The record was four hours and 50 minutes. Unfortunately, I did five hours and 23 minutes.

"The end game was completing it."

Barrett, who ran a sub-four hour London Marathon in 2010, said the crowd had been "amazing" but "that's definitely it now".

"I don't think I'll worry about doing another one now. I've done two and one was a bit of out of the ordinary, so I'm done," he said.

The farmer was aiming to raise £6,500 for Cornwall Hospice Care and exceeded his target by more than £600.

He said he was "overwhelmed" by the response to his fundraising.

"Everyone has been so generous and for Kobuta and [tractor sellers] Vincents to sponsor me. It's been brilliant."