Daily Mail

Nurse who ran marathon in NHS uniform is denied a world record... because she wasn’t wearing THIS

- Daily Mail Reporter

WHEN Jessica Anderson finished the London Marathon last week, she thought she’d broken the world record for a runner dressed as a nurse.

According to Guinness World Records, she hadn’t. For although her time of three hours, eight minutes and 32 seconds was the fastest recorded, she was wearing medical scrubs, not a ‘proper’ nursing uniform.

To qualify she should have worn a traditiona­l pinafore apron and cap.

Guinness officials told Miss Anderson, who works in the acute admissions unit at the Royal London Hospital, her scrubs were too close to the requiremen­t for a doctor’s uniform to be counted as a nurse.

After the NHS worker complained, Guinness stressed the need to ‘differenti­ate

‘Never seen a male nurse in a dress’

between categories’ – but has now agreed to review its costume policy.

She said: ‘I was quite taken aback when I read that they’d rejected my applicatio­n and I did email them to ask them to reconsider but they said no.

‘I get that it’s supposed to be a fun thing but their definition is just so outdated.

‘Some of the nurses I work with do wear dresses but mostly we wear scrubs or a tunic and trousers.

‘I’ve certainly never seen a male nurse wearing a dress to work.

‘I’m sure Guinness World Records don’t intend to cause offence but it would be nice if they decided to revise their criteria instead of reinforcin­g old gender stereotype­s,’ she told Runner’s World. Not only did Miss Anderson beat the existing record by 23 seconds she also raised more than £2,300 for the London-based Barts Cancer Institute. A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: ‘Inclusiven­ess and respect are values that Guinness World Records holds extremely dear and, while we always need to ensure we can differenti­ate between categories, it is quite clear that this record title is long overdue a review, which we will conduct as a priority in the coming days.’

 ??  ?? Uniform: Jessica Anderson in her scrubs passes marathon 21-mile mark
Uniform: Jessica Anderson in her scrubs passes marathon 21-mile mark
 ??  ?? Correct: This runner’s cap and pinafore is within the Guinness rules
Correct: This runner’s cap and pinafore is within the Guinness rules

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