Runner sets HM running world record with 120 shirts

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Eliuk as the person wearing the most T-shirts in the world running HM after he wore 120 shirts and completed the Hypothermic Half Marathon, in Edmonton, Alberta on February 5. The old record was 113, set by British runner Anthony Wilton in September. Eliuk finished in 2 hours 43 minutes 30 seconds, while his personal best was 1 hour 26 minutes.

"If I can inspire someone to hit a goal or smile when they're having a bad day by running down the street like an idiot, then I've done what I wanted to do," says Eliuk. He prepared for this endeavor for four months, adding 15 shirts in training every two weeks.

The 40-year-old runner took 35 minutes and needed help to put on 120 shirts. He started from a sports bra in size M and then gradually increased to L, XL, XXL, XXXL and XXXXL, each of 20 pieces, with a total weight of about 22 kg. This means that Eliuk's upper body is under considerable pressure, his arms are difficult to move and blood circulation is limited.

The two speedists ran with Eliuk to support and be witnesses according to the review process of the Guinness Book of World Records. After every mile (1.6 km), they switched to walking to massage Eliuk's arms and hands, alleviating the effects of poor blood circulation. They also made a support belt with Eliuk's left hand to reduce unnecessary movements.

After finishing, Eliuk also had to record a video to prove he was wearing 120 T-shirts. He was supported to take off each shirt in turn until he reached 120. "It was a relief to get rid of them. The race was so exhausting that I had to raise and lower my arms to undress," Eliuk said.

Other runners were impressed by Eliuk's achievements. "That challenge was really hard. I only wore two t-shirts, so I can only imagine that wearing 120 t-shirts would be 60 times harder," Abby Paul told City News.

"Eliuk's hand is always outstretched and that's definitely not fun, really admire him," said another runner.

Eliuk shared that when he visited the website of the Guinness Book of World Records to see interesting running records, he came across the record for wearing the most T-shirts to run 21 km and chose this as a goal to pursue. "The man who held the record at the time looked very funny, like a giant balloon," Eliuk said. "And I thought let's try to conquer this goal."

The male runner started training for the Hypothermic Half Marathon 2022, wearing 10-12 extra T-shirts every two weeks. He completed the prize on February 20, 2022 with 94 T-shirts, within a time limit of 3 hours, meeting a request from Guinness.

Guinness takes 12 weeks to approve records, but applicants can speed up the process by paying a fee of $800. And another runner surpassed Eliuk, paying the fee to be recognized for the record in just 5 days. This year, Eliuk has learned from his experience and called on everyone to support to have enough money to pay the fee, the remainder will be transferred to a charity fund.

Eliuk currently has no intention of conquering any records in the near future. He is preparing for his first 100 km race at the Lakou Backyard Ultra in Spruce Grove, Alberta, in May. The male runner is also braced if someone surpasses him in the multi-shirt record. The best font runs 21 km.