Utah runner dashes to Guinness World Record in banana costume

Utah may not be known for bananas, but Jordan Maddocks is changing that—a marathon at a time. On Monday at the 2025 Boston Marathon, Maddocks peeled through the course in 2:33:19 while sporting a Chiquita banana costume to reclaim his Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon dressed as a fruit.

The 38-year-old from Draper, Utah, was the fastest costumed runner at this year’s race, finishing 337th overall. Most importantly, he was two minutes ahead of the previous record (2:35:38) set last year at Boston by American trail runner Matthew Seidel.

Maddocks previously set the fruit mark in 2020 (2:41:27 in Phoenix) before it was lowered by Seidel last year at Boston. “I remember I found out my record had been taken while I was cross-training,” he says. “That moment lit a fire under me, even while I couldn’t run. I had to come back and reclaim it, and Boston felt like the perfect place to do it.”

But the Boston Marathon was more than just a banana redemption arc—it was a personal victory for Maddocks after a long recovery from an adductor tear to return to feeling 100 per cent. “I was injured most of last year,” Maddocks said. “It just felt good to run stress-free and throw down something solid without pain. It’s been a journey–and this record means a lot more than people probably realize.”

This isn’t Maddocks’ first experience with produce-powered distance running. He also holds the record for the fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable, clocking 2:44:12, dressed as a carrot, at the 2022 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon.

Maddocks initially decided to run in a banana suit to support his friend who was undergoing double-lung transplant surgery in 2020. Now, he sees it as simply a fun way to run a marathon.

Besides setting Guinness World Records, Maddocks is a founder and coach at Twenty One Run, a running-focused training gym in South Jordan, Utah.