MONARCH flight crew are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the ‘fastest marathon in a four-person costume’ at the London Marathon – and their get-up is ‘plane’ genius.

Air hostess Caroline Brown, from Altrincham, will be joined by cabin crew manager Jacq Jones and pilots Steve Day and Simon Gauge, Virgin Money’s second highest individual marathon fundraiser in 2016, for the mammoth challenge on April 23.

The colleagues will be together in a custom-made Monarch ‘aircraft’, built by apprentices from Monarch Aircraft Engineering specifically for the world record attempt.

It is 5m 35cm long, weighs 21kg and is made of lightweight aluminium.

Captain Simon, who came up with the idea, said: “Between us we have 58 years of experience flying for Monarch, but it’s fair to say we never thought we would be crewing a plane quite like this one or attempting a Guinness World Record.

“Training has included regular runs with 5kg backpacks to prepare our bodies for the weight of the aircraft.

“Needless to say, it’s been challenging fitting preparation in around our flying schedules and our regular 4am starts but we are confident we can beat the current record of 5:25:02.”

Caroline, 32, has completed seven marathons in the past, including the Manchester Marathon twice, but said Sunday’s event is ‘totally different’.

“I always wanted to run The London Marathon,” said Caroline.

“I’m really excited but nervous too. I went to Visit Great Ormond Street and that experience made me more determined to complete the marathon.”

The foursome are running for Monarch Foundation charity partners, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Pauline Prow, chair of the Monarch Foundation, said: “We are so proud of all the staff who are running the London Marathon and raising money for Monarch Foundation charity partners, GOSH Charity and Macmillan Cancer Support.

“The runners have worked closely with our engineering apprentices who built the aircraft and have trained so hard to ensure everything is ready for a smooth take-off. It’s been a great team effort.

“The possibility of breaking a Guinness World Record is really exciting and we will be proudly watching and cheering for all our runners on the day.”

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