A six-time cancer survivor is gearing up to smash a world record – by running the London Marathon in full armour.
Jonathan Acott will don a metal suit weighing a hefty 60lb – more than four stone – as he tackles the gruelling 26-mile course.
Incredibly, the 51-year-old has battled cancer six times.
He was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2004.
His first relapse came in 2007, when doctors discovered a tumour in his chest.
Further relapses followed in 2013 and 2016, leading to back-to-back retroperitoneal lymph node dissections – major surgery to remove lymph nodes from the back of the abdomen.
In 2017, Jonathan was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
The following year, doctors found the disease had returned once again.
His final surgery in 2018 saw his kidney and spleen removed.
During the operation, his spleen ruptured, requiring an emergency blood transfusion on top of chemotherapy after the procedure.
He now lives with missing organs, permanent nerve damage and a compromised immune system.
But Jonathan is no stranger to endurance – having run a marathon on every continent in 2024.
Now he is taking on an even tougher challenge.
“I have loved the Guinness World Record Book since I was a kid, and I have wanted a record for 40 years, and this is the first time I’ve felt able to commit to one,” Jonathan, from Ewell, Surrey, told Need To Know.
“Also, after the seven continents project, it seems like marathons are my thing.
“So a marathon record seemed like a good fit and I’m not fast enough to break a speed one but a suffering one seemed to be right up my street hence the suit of armour.
“And the suit of armour is the perfect metaphor because it reminds us that the weight we carry doesn’t have to stop us.
“It can be the very thing that builds our strength to move forward.”
Jonathan Acott’s scar. (Jam Press/Jonathan Acott)
Jonathan admitted the armour brings its own brutal challenges.
He said: “It presses on your whole body.
“The heat starts to rise immediately when you’re in it.
“The helmet is probably the most challenging thing though because it feels claustrophobic and it is very hot in there.
“It takes about 30 minutes to get into it properly and it’s very much a two person exercise to do it.”
Jonathan said he ignores doubters.
He said: “I once swam the 12 miles of Lake Windermere because I fancied it.
“After all the surgeries and treatments for six cancers, if I listened to what people told me I could or couldn’t do, I wouldn’t have achieved half of what I have and I certainly wouldn’t have run a marathon on every continent.
“I look at something and think ‘I can do that’ and don’t let limiting beliefs get in the way.
“But the big concern is the weather – if it is too hot then I’ll overheat and the Guinness record won’t be broken.
“But hopefully I can slow right down and finish anyway.”
Jonathan is also raising money for the Gift of Go charity he set up.
He added: “We are here to empower those affected by cancer to reclaim their joy and build resilience by removing the financial barriers to their passions.
“We provide direct ‘micro-gifts’ that turn aspirations into action, ensuring that while cancer may take much, it never takes away the freedom to go.”
The current record for the fastest marathon in armour stands at six hours, 46 minutes and 59 seconds, set by Denmark’s Peter Pedersen in 2008.
Jonathan will attempt to beat it at the London Marathon on 26 April.
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