Hong Kong dad sets record for charity race in three-piece suit at second attempt
Mike Tozer, fund-raiser for studies of Fragile X gene disorder that causes autism, gets his name in record books and raises cash and awareness of condition affecting his son
Go slow: it’s not the advice you expect before attempting a Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon in a suit, but for Hong Kong dad Mike Tozer it was just the ticket to a coveted entry into the history books.
“I was really nervous the night before my attempt and called my coach Sean Williams and he said, ‘Ignore everyone else around and just go slow at the start.’”
In May, Tozer, 35, who works in international development, had made an initial crack at the record – one hour 18 minutes 13 seconds, set by Briton Scott Forbes in April 2016 – but fell short by 27 seconds after setting off too quickly and flagging in the final kilometres. He decided to try again, this time at the Blacktown Running Festival on July 31 in Sydney, Australia.
“[William’s] advice was just what I needed to hear,” says Tozer.
He stuck to his pace rigidly – a blistering three minutes 40 seconds per kilometre – and at the 16km mark was two minutes slower than on his first attempt. Then, with 2km to go in the 21.1km race, Tozer had plenty left in the tank and picked up his pace.
