Set a Record: How to Run a Half Marathon Wearing 120 T-Shirts

Ever thought about running a half marathon...with a twist?
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It all started late one night when David Eliuk was online looking for his next running challenge.
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He already checked off some sweet goals:

✅Set a 2:59 marathon PR
✅Run the Boston Marathon
✅Swim, bike and run 140.6 miles of a full Ironman
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David worked really hard to complete these goals. But pretty soon, he found himself asking the question: What's next?
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Click, type, tap...tap...tap, and the Mysterious Force revealed his next big goal.
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Here's what happened...

Take a look at David's running stats and accomplishments, and you might assume he's an all-business serious runner.
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He likes to train hard, test his limits, and chase big goals.
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But after ticking off a 2:59 PR at the REVEL Canyon City Marathon in California a few years ago, qualifying for the Boston Marathon and enjoying the experience of this iconic race, he started searching for a different kind of goal.
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🏆"I was looking through some of the Guinness World Records for running," says David.
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"And I came across a picture of this guy running down the street wearing 75 T-shirts."
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"My first thoughts. This looks ridiculous. It's pretty funny. And the guy looks hilarious in all those shirts."
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👕But then the wheels started turning...
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"There's no time standard for the record," says David, "just a matter of shirts."
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"How hard could that be? It's kind of quirky, and breaking this record seems kind of attainable."
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But if he was going to break the record, he was going to need a lot of shirts.

If you've run any race distance from a 5K to an ultra, chances are pretty good you:

• Set a goal
• Created a plan
• Trained and practiced for months
• Stepped up to the starting line with a race-day strategy

David let the idea of setting a new world record for running a half marathon wearing the most T-shirts percolate.
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And if he was going to do this, he needed some help, so he picked up the phone and called a friend.
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📳"Hi Trevor. It's David, and I have this idea..."
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Trevor Soll is the founder of Multisports Canada and hosts 22-plus races a year for 9,000-plus event participants. If there was anyone David knew who might be able to help, Trevor was the guy. 
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He explained the goal and asked:
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👕"Do you have any extra shirts?"
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"Yes. A lot. How many do you need?"
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It turns out, Trevor had a trailer full of T-shirts from size M to 4XL. And he was happy to pass 100+ along to David before donating the rest.
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He loaded David up with more than enough shirts, so the training could begin...

You probably wouldn't show up to run a half marathon with zero training.
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Instead, you'd most likely follow a progressive kind of plan, upping the miles a little each week.
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And that's exactly how David planned his strategy to beat the world record for running a half marathon wearing a lot of T-shirts.
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👕"When I started training, every two weeks I would add 10 to 12 more shirts," says David.
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🏃‍♂️"I'd do four or five runs a week with all the shirts on, and keep repeating the process."
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"You really have to get used to the weight of the shirts and the restricted range of motion."
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After getting used to wearing a lot of T-shirts while running, David made his goal specific: Run a half marathon wearing 120 T-Shirts.

• 😲Fun fact: The weight of 120 T-shirts weigh =48.5 pounds.
• 😲More fun facts: "Once you get to around 90 shirts, you're unable to dress or feed yourself because of the restriction," says David. "I had a crew to help me put on more shirts, keep me hydrated, and handle all the media to document the record."

David's first attempt to run a half marathon wearing 105 T-shirts went pretty well.
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He beat the record, even though he had to remove some shirts mid-race.
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"Some of the shirts were bunched up around my shoulder," says David.
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"They were cutting off circulation, because they were so tight around my arm. I started having blood flow issues and tingling in my hands."
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He made it to the finish, but the administrative side of Guinness wasn't in his favor.

• By the time he submitted all the documentation required to verify his record, someone else ran a half marathon wearing more shirts.
• It was serial-record-breaker David Rush. 
• He ran a half marathon wearing 111 shirts, and got it verified before David Eliuk's record made it through the process.

And that only made David want the world record even more...
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"My mind was set on this," David said. "I want this record."
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And he got it on Feb. 5, 2023.
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When he stepped up to the starting line of the Hypothermic Half Marathon earlier year, he hardly noticed the below-freezing temps, because he was wearing 120 T-shirts.
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And this time Guinness recognized his world record.

David put his newly-acquired knowledge of how Guinness World Records operates, and set another record.
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This time he set a new world record for running a marathon wearing 78 shirts at the Edmonton Marathon on Aug. 20, 2023.
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"Since the race was going to happen during the summer, I was concerned about how the heat would effect me with that many layers," says David.
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"I experimented with ice packs and running in the early morning. I even tried some cooling mechanisms to help keep my body temperature down."
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Even though he was running for 5 hours, wearing 78 shirts for the 26.2-mile marathon distance proved to be a little easier than running a half marathon wearing 120 shirts.
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"I didn't need a support crew to get dressed," says David. 
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"I was able to carry a water bottle and refill at aid stations every two miles. I took pictures to document the attempt, and I had a much better range of motion than wearing over 100 shirts."

🏆Guinness World Records

• Most T-shirts worn during a half marathon: 120 at the Hypothermic Half Marathon in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Feb. 5, 2023.
• Most T-shirts word during a marathon: 78 at the Edmonton Marathon in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Aug. 20, 2023.
• Note: On May 23, 2023, Iowa resident Dan Harvey broke David's record by running a half marathon wearing 127 T-shirts. (David, you know what you need to do...🤣)

🏃‍♂️Years of running

• I've been running since I was in grade 3. My school had a cross country team, and the principal was our coach. And it's still a popular sport. My youngest son competed in some of the same races that I did as a kid. 

👟Favorite running shoes

• Road running: Saucony Kinvara
• Trail running: Saucony Peregrine

⌚Favorite running coaches

• Jason Britton
• Alan Culpepper

⛽Favorite running fuel

• 7 Summit Snacks "It's endurance chocolate for athletes."

💧Favorite electrolyte drink

• Nuun. "I really like their endurance line for when I'm running."

😀Advice for runners

• "I find that a lot of newer runners will compare themselves to other runners. Don't run against the person standing beside you. Run for you."

📆What's next?

• The New York City Marathon on Nov. 5, 2023.