Santa Claus can run: Runner breaks world record in full suit

A runner at the Philadelphia Marathon ran a world record for running a 2:54:02 decked out in a full Santa Claus costume.

Fuelled by cookies and milk, Santa Claus is now a marathon world record holder.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t Brian Lang’s pre-race meal but the former 4:10 Penn State miler set the record for fastest marathon run in a Santa Claus costume. He ran at the Philadelphia Marathon.

Lang’s 2:54:02 on Nov. 22 bested the previous Guinness World Record of 2:55:50, set by Paul Simons at the 2009 London Marathon. Lang’s best marathon time (without a costume) is a 2:31:23 set at the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon.

Lang had run five marathons prior to Philadelphia and trained regularly since graduating with an MBA from Duke University. The 29-year-old celebrated the record by drinking a post-race Guinness.

RELATED: Singapore man sets Rubik’s Cube marathon world record.

To be eligible for the record, a participant must wear a full Santa Claus suit, a white beard, and a Santa hat.

The run raised $3,880 in support of local non-profit Mighty Writers, a charity that teaches kids to think and write with clarity.

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