“The first time I started running in my wellies, I realised I was burning up because it’s like wearing a hot suit on the bottom half of your body,” she said.
“I modified them by putting little vents inside them thinking, ‘oh, I’m a genius’ but it would be classed as modification and I’d be disqualified straight away.”
To set a new record, Laura has to beat the current time of three hours, 59 minutes and 57 seconds, set by Becky Lafford at the London Marathon in 2023.
“I’ve now got a time pressure against me, but I’m kind of laughing,” she explained.
“If I don’t achieve it that’s not a problem, because I can crown myself the second fastest woman, so that’s still top ten isn’t it?”
According to her, the support she’s received, especially on social media where she’s posted regular updates, has made any blister worth it.
“I’ve found a corner of the web where runners support runners,” Laura said.
“What sounded a stupid idea in the beginning, it sort of became a snowball effect.
“Now I’ve got a tiny army of welly supporters, and I’m very thankful”.
Laura’s already got her next marathon booked in – and it may not be the last time her trainers are swapped for something quirkier.
“If everything goes to plan for this marathon, next year’s could be a different choice of footwear to try and get another Guinness World record,” she added.
“So let’s get across this finish line and then it could be flippers or flip-flops. So who knows what next year could bring.”
