Utah man sets Guinness World Record at the Boston Marathon in a banana costume

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) — The Boston Marathon is one of the most popular marathons in the country. And for one Utah man, it was also an opportunity to break a record that some people may find unusual.

Jordan Maddocks, who owns 21 Run in South Jordan, has been running in marathons across the country for years. On April 21, he ran in this year’s Boston Marathon, breaking an unusual world record: The fastest marathon run in a fruit costume.

Maddocks was unable to run in the 2024 Boston Marathon due to injury, when another runner broke his previous record by over six minutes. Maddocks trained for a year while rehabilitating his injury, focused on breaking the record.

That he did — setting the record with a time of two hours, 33 minutes and 19 seconds, over two minutes faster than the previous record. But his journey began well before this year’s marathon.

In 2019, Maddocks made his first run at the record during the Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon, clearing the record in that race by 15 seconds. Unfortunately, in May of that year, Maddocks received a letter stating the record was denied due to the banana suit he wore at the time being one inch too short in the back. But his attempts didn’t stop there.

“I saw that Chiquita Banana had sponsored a guy in Canada to set the record for the fastest half marathon at the Toronto Marathon and he got the record,” Maddocks said. He reached out to the company to ask if they would sponsor him during the 2020 race, and they said yes.

Maddocks added that he also got to run that marathon with his dad, all while he wore the banana costume. But he adds that specific race was about more than just the record and the banana suit.

“I got to crown my dad with his medal at his finish,” Maddocks said. “Out of all the marathons that I’ve done, that was one of the most special moments of my entire career — because I got to be there and watch my dad do something he always wanted to do.”

Maddocks’ long-term goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Trials, but for now, he says he’s going to continue to do what he loves.