Swindon fitness trainer Les Slinn took 25 minutes off the Guinness World Record for a London marathon runner dressed as a Roman soldier on 17 April 2011, completing the course in 4 hours and 5 minutes.

He had decided to continue the Roman theme after pulling Mutliple Sclerosis sufferer Samantha Mulvey in a wheelchair chariot around the Swindon half marathon course with a team of centurions from the Les Slinn Fitness Studio last October. Running without his troop, but with 35,000 other elite and not so quick runners, he was both attempting to break the world record and to raise money for Swindon Therapy Centre for MS and Swindon Downs Syndrome Support Group.

He said, "yesterday was very hot especially with the uniform on. After a mile I had sweat dripping from my tunic so as you can imagine what it was like once I finished. It was a great day though becoming a World Record Holder and even more special seeing that I was supporting two great Swindon charities. The support from our Slinn Allstars was amazing and kept you going especially when you got towards the end of the race”

Les also managed to meet up again with James Cracknell who he met in the Sahara Desert whilst competing In the Marathon Des sables last year.

The MS Centre has to raise £100,000 annually to run its premises in Westlea and the Downs support group has to raise over £16,000 every year to enable children to receive additional weekly speech and language therapy classes.