ANSWERS

1) D. Fastest marathon wearing imitation chainmail

THAT was set in 2016 (in 3:48:45). The person in a toilet roll costume finished in 4:54:00, the Wellington boot-wearer in 3:21:27 and the household appliance-holder (a man carrying a tumble drier) in 5:58:37.

2) B. Brain

THE brains of runners competing in ultramarathons temporarily shrink an average of 6 per cent, according to researchers at the University hospital of Ulm in Germany. They speculate that this could be because the athletes are not mentally stimulated during the race. The organs recover within eight months.

3) True

THE first citation for marathon as a verb in the Oxford english dictionary is from 1920.

4) C. Accountant

AND the most common age bracket for runners is 30 to 39.

5) All of them

IN 2016, British astronaut Tim Peake became the first man to complete a marathon from space, when he ran the London Marathon on a treadmill.

The Man v horse Marathon began in 1980; it took 25 years for a man to win.

The Guinness World Record for the highest start to a marathon belongs to the biennial everest Marathon, which started in 1987.

6) False

THE finish line used to be on Constitution hill and then on Westminster Bridge. But repairs to the bridge in 1994 saw it moved to The Mall, where it has remained.