Team RADepilliar [8] Race report & Reflections

Race report & Reflections

All of the training paid off, we were able to finish with an official completion time of 4:53:33, which was 10 minutes faster than the previous record! We can honestly say this was one of the best experiences of our running career, to be running with folks in another Country and have them waiving and reacting to our costume while running. Some of our favorite memories of the run:

  • Mile 14 is where things got real. There was a lot of pain, and the reality of having to finish 10 more miles to go
  • Run/Walk schedule was important for this marathon, it’s difficult to run so close together
  • The look on the little kids faces when they saw the caterpillar comping up! Some of them just lost it and started dancing around and waiving their hands!
  • Crowds. The fine folks of Berlin at every corner of the run cheering us on.
  • Running into other runners from home, making it feel like such a small world.

We’re blessed to have had such a wonderful experience at the 2017 Berlin Marathon. Thank you to all of our friends and family that have helped us out along the way, our crazy Dog Haus Run Club and everyone else who thought we could pull off this whacky run record.

Reflections of the current fastest 4 person caterpillar to run a marathon!

It has been a little over a week since my friends and I traveled out to Berlin, Germany in attempt to set the Guinness World Record for fastest 4 person marathon in a costume! Still ridiculous, but we’re overwhelmed by the support and curiosity that friends, family and folks over the internet have with the Googley eyed Caterpillar (we call it the RADepillar after our friends and family cycling team) that ran the Berlin Marathon. Our official time was 04:53, which beat the previous record holder by a total of 10 minutes.

We’ve received a number of WTF and questions about how this crazy contraption actually worked, so here’s a little write-up:

  1. Inspiration & the team
  2. Submitting the Guinness World Record application
  3. Costume brainstorm
  4. Prototype & construction of RADepillar
  5. Training for a marathon in costume
  6. Flying to Berlin & Marathon Expo
  7. Guinness World Record attempt day in Berlin
  8. Post record attempt thoughts

Willkommen & Hello Berlin!

My name is Michael (aka Wongie) and welcome to my blog! I’m an avid runner, amateur photographer, video guy and have an amazing group of friends that convince each other to do wacky things like run a marathon in a Caterpillar costume. Join me on my journey, as I document my adventures as I leave my job for the last 7+ years and invest the next few months to traveling and learning more about myself.  First stop on this journey is Berlin, where our group of friends set a Guinness World Record for fastest 4 person marathon in a costume!