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Man in a banana suit runs 2:41 marathon

Jordan Maddocks ran a 2:41 marathon while wearing a banana suit at Rock n' Roll Arizona

On Sunday, at the Rock n’ Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix, another record was set for the fastest marathon run dressed as a fruit, and this time it was in the full marathon. Jordan Maddocks of Salt Lake City, Utah, finished the race in 2:41:27, breaking the previous record by six minutes.

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Maddocks is a 2:34 marathoner who took up the task of running in a banana suit in 2019 in support of his friend who was going through a double lung transplant surgery. He ran again in the suit in 2020 in support of his father, who was running his first marathon.

The Toronto Marathon saw a similar story with Melvin Nyairo, who finished the half in 1:15:35, also dressed in a banana suit. Nyairo says he chose to run as a banana because it’s a staple food in his home of Kenya and for its streamlined silhouette. “It’s got the nutrients that runners need and I chose to run as a Chiquita banana because it’s a company that supports races.”

Nyairo’s run became a bit of a Twitter sensation. He was a front runner at the STWM marathon for the first half, as he was on pace with the elite Canadian women through 15K. It looked like the elite Canadians had hired a banana as a pacer.

It would be interesting to see a battle of the bananas one day, but for now, both runners are record holders in their own events.