A GOONHAVERN man taking on the London marathon for charity will not be counting his chickens until they hatch.

Seb Burley, 36, aims to beat the fastest time ever to complete the 26.2-mile course in an inflatable suit by dressing as a chicken on Sunday, April 26.

The current Guinness world record is four hours and 15 minutes, but the experienced runner hopes to finish the marathon in less than four hours.

He will be raising money for Action for Children, which protects and supports vulnerable children and young people.

Seb knows the chicken run will be more “eggshausting,” but he is willing to complete the course to raise as much money as possible.

Seb, who runs a customer feedback consultancy, said: “I’ve always been inspired watching the London marathon on television when growing up with the amount of money that is raised.

“The people who go extra steps to dress up and run silly Guinness World Record attempts to make it even more of a challenge and encourage people to give a little extra money for their chosen charity.

“Last year I ran as a giant chicken.

“The crowds chanting 'run chicken run' and hearing the joy it brought as I flapped past was amazing.

“I wanted to run this year’s marathon in a costume which was a bit silly and thought the record for fully inflatable costume was doable for me.

“Searching on the internet I came across the inflatable chicken costume, we have chickens at home, and I showed my son.

“He loved it and there was no going back from there.”

Seb is certainly not “winging it” when it comes to his preparations.

He said: “I’ve done a few runs in the chicken costume, which gets incredibly hot and humid inside with nowhere for the heat and humidity to go.

“So, it’s much more difficult to breath in, let alone run in. If there is any wind, it’s like running with a parachute on.

“I plan to do a couple more runs before the big day.

“I’m looking to run the lovely flat Camel Trail from Bodmin to Padstow and back over the Easter week as a big, long run in the costume. So don’t be alarmed if you see a giant flapping chicken.”

Seb decided to raise money for Action for Children as its a charity close to his heart.

He said: “I chose Action for Children as a close family member works for them, and she is so proud working for them.

“I hear so many fantastic stories of the initiatives they run and the amazing people who work there.

“They do fantastic work across the whole country, campaigning and representing young children/families through practical emotional care and support services that thousands rely on.

“As a dad, it breaks my heart that there are 4.5 million children living in poverty in the UK, due to no fault of their own, so I want to do something to help.”

To make a donation visit https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/sebastian-burley?