Am I a deluded attention-seeker? Why I’m running the London Marathon dressed as a badger

Am I a deluded attention-seeker? Why I’m running the London Marathon dressed as a badger Isn’t running 26.2 miles difficult enough? Not for some. Whether it’s dressing up as a helicopter, a lobster or a pair of testicles, wearing a novelty outfit spurs many competitors on D elusion. That’s the crucial prerequisite for running a marathon in fancy dress, according to the ultramarathon competitor and cancer survivor Jonathan Acott, who is attempting the fastest marathon dressed in a clanking suit of armour. So that’s what it was when I decided to run this year’s London Marathon dressed as a badger. I’ve run a marathon once before, 19 years ago. I hated the suffering . I injured myself. And now I’m 51. Why was this a good idea? It started last year. Gazing at a piece of barren farmland that Norfolk Wildlife Trust hope to bring back to life, I decided I would help. People taking local action to make the world a tiny bit better is a hopeful antidote to global doom-and-gloom. My nature-loving dad, who used to volunteer for NWT, died last year. With NWT celebrating its 100th birthday this year, it seemed a good moment to raise money for its efforts. The badger is the symbol of the Wildlife Trusts and I have a badger onesie in my wardrobe. And so, I began training, driven by that strange constellation of personal and idealistic notions that make people choose to embrace pain for 26.2 miles. Running in a costume liberates me from my egotistical drive for a certain time; I just want to finish. And training started well. I plodded an 18-miler, then a 20-miler (not in costume) and then, six weeks ago: disaster. I pulled the same calf-and-tendon I’d knackered in my last marathon. Turns out it never properly healed. On medical advice, I’ve rested ever since – a ridiculously long taper. On the plus side, the London Marathon has a new feature called Woodland Way at mile 10 – a space lined with native trees, playing calming nature sounds – where a badger will be right at home. And wh...