Nurse’s London Marathon record rejected by Guinness – because she wasn’t wearing a dress
Fellow nurses have shown their support
Jessica Anderson, an NHS nurse who ran the London Marathon in her scrubs in just over three hours, was told that the mammoth feat of covering more than 26 miles in costume did not count as a record.
Jessica was aiming to replace the record-holder for the fastest female marathon runner dressed as a nurse. She beat the time by 32 seconds. She is a nurse.
Seems simple enough. Turns out, though, that Guinness World Records (GWR) is very specific about its costume criteria; a guide for prospective runners reads: 'When you receive your guidelines they will include the requirements and rules around the costume or challenge they relate to.
'If you don’t meet the criteria of the record then your whole attempt will be disqualified (no one wants to run 26 miles dressed as a rabbit only to find out their ears weren’t long enough).'
Sounds fair enough. Except for what they actually expect a nurse to wear. According to GWR, a nurse's uniform must include a 'white or blue dress, pinafore apron and white cap'.
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In a particularly toe-curling detail, GWR explained that Anderson’s trousers meant her get-up could be confused with the doctor category.
Let’s remember that Anderson ran not in a costume from a fancy-dress shop, but in her actual scrubs: that’s what nurses wear, not ooh-matron hats and little aprons.
Nurses across social media have been backing Jessica under the hashtag #WhatNursesWear.
Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, joined the chorus with a photo on twitter alongside a couple of nurses-in-training: ‘@GWR I’m in uniform with 2 #futurenurses we are dressed in uniform a bit like @Janderzzz who ran the London marathon... this is what RNs look like.. please reconsider your position’.
Samantha Fay, senior vice president of GWR, issued a statement saying, ‘Guinness World Records takes the matters of equality and inclusiveness very seriously.
'I want to ensure all concerned that we have recognised the need for an immediate review of this attempt and the fastest marathon dressed as a nurse category and associated guidelines which we will begin as a priority.’
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