A man from Duloe will be running the London Marathon later this month in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record while wearing a ‘tractor costume’.

Michael Barrett will be taking on the 26.2 mile challenge in the capital on Sunday, April 26, to raise money for Cornwall Hospice Care. After running for the marathon back in 2010, he wanted to try something a little bit different this time around.

As a dairy farmer, Michael looked into dressing up as a cow to see if he could break a Guinness World Record, but felt that the record time would be beyond his capabilities.

He then came across the record for being 'dressed as a heavy duty vehicle', namely a tractor. The current record to beat is 4 hours 50 minutes 54 seconds and Michael has taken up the challenge of bettering it.

Speaking about how he obtained a tractor costume, he explained: “I contacted a costume company to see about making one and they said they wanted £1,140 to make and deliver the costume. Being a farmer and for that price, I decided I would set about making one myself.”

“The three main criteria for the costume was that it needed to be rigid, has to come down to my knees and that it needed to fully enclose me.”

“It just happened that we were changing our bath panel at the time and I thought it was not only rigid but also lightweight which was important from my point of view.

“I then set about joining two of them with a light aluminium frame with cable ties and straps. It weighs about 10kg, which is heavier than I would like but I am hopeful I can still gain a new Guinness Record.”

After buying a tractor from farm equipment supplier Vincents last year, Michael contacted them to farm to see if them and Kubota UK, the tractor and machinery manufacture, would be interested in sponsoring him.

They both agreed and Vincents took the opportunity to pimp Micheal’s ride by spraying it and adding decals.

So far, Michael has raised over £4,000 for Cornwall Hospice Care on his fundraising page. £1,500 was donated by Duloe Ale and Cider Festival, while another £500 was sent by Kubota.

Their message to Michael on his page read: “Kubota is proud to support you in your participation in the London Marathon. Wishing you every success on the day and the very best of luck with your run!”

Others sponsoring Michael include Lancare Contractors, Westcotts Accountants, Excel Agri, and Cornwall Groundworks Ltd.

Looking ahead to the marathon, Michael concluded: “I did run the marathon back in 2010 and recorded a time of 3 hours 38 minutes.

“Although I am a 'little' older now, I am hopeful that I can gain a new record somewhere close to the 4hr mark. This will still give me around a two minute per mile window to be able to record a record time.”

To sponsor Micheal, visit: 2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/michael-barrett