This year’s London Marathon will mark 30 years of the iconic rhino costume, which has become a familiar and much-loved sight on the streets of London, as well as in plenty of events around the world. Charinya Kanchanasevee, a 32-year-old dentist from Bangkok, Thailand, is going to run while showcasing the traditional clothes of her culture.

For the future, the elite runner promises that he has more records he'd like to attempt — and we cannot wait to see them!Also, it will be a great way to embarrass my two teenage kids! Mum, running as a giant lobster!" - Joanne

I ran the London Marathon in 2010 but did not really get into running until my son was 18 months old," she explains. "I participated in the 2020 virtual London Marathon and really enjoyed doing the longer miles.” Running over 1,200 event miles in the costume including 38 marathons, 6 ultramarathons, 2 half-marathons, 1 prison break out, and Yorkshire’s 3 Peaks Challenge. The latter has been the hardest challenge to date. I decided to take it on in July 2021 on my birthday of all days. Whichalso happened to be the hottest day of the year. Scaling peaks in a huge cumbersome rhino suit with such restricted visibility was hard enough, but all in 28-degree heat as well! It may not sound like a great way to celebrate, but it was such an adventure and all the support the rhino got that day inspired me round in 7hrs 58mins.The costume also appeared on The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2009, and eight performed on stage at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2012, in celebration of what would have been Founder Patron Douglas Adams’ 60th birthday. Douglas once joined a fundraising trek, in costume, from Mombasa to Mt Kilimanjaro Rhino sang Snow Patrol classic Chasing Cars in a bid to make it through to the next round and he made a fine first impression. My first-ever marathon as a human was at the New York Marathon in 1999 and I’ve now run over 100 marathons in total, with around half in full rhino costume (and that number just keeps rising!). The London Marathon is the world’s largest fundraising event. On the famous 26.2 mile route, you’ll see the sights, soak up the atmosphere… and help us to save precious rhinos!

Tie up your shoes and grab your costume, because the London Marathon – the yearly event that unites thousands of runners – is upon us.Costume runners have taken part in endless endurance events all over the world, including the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Comrades Marathon in South Africa and the ForRangers Ultra in Kenya The record was broken by David Jones during the following year, at the TCF London Marathon 2022. Jones finished with a time of 2 hrs 47 mins 15 secs – shaving some precious minutes off Julian’s previous achievement of 2 hrs 51 mins and 45 secs. Though this task is immensely challenging, Harry was motivated to run the marathon and attempt the record title to raise money for charity Save the Rhino.

Each costume weighs between 10 and 12 kg, though it’s not the weight that people find most challenging, it’s the bobbling heads, rigid frames and limited visibility! Masked Singer viewers have declared they would be ‘stunned’ if Rhino wasn’t Busted star Charlie Simpson. Defining herself as a "Cornish girl" and owning a beach-side café, Joanne is well acquainted with the necessity for marine conservation. From a very young age I would get the Guinness World Records book. I just remember seeing all the incredible achievements, and just sort of wanting to be a part of that.

 Fastest marathon wearing wellington boots 

A friendly pre-marathon team evening to meet the other runners and all of us at Save the Rhino before race day. Receive first-hand advice and hear about the fantastic work you are supporting