Sean McIntyre, a 2014 graduate of Newton North High School, etched his name into the history books on Monday after setting a new Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run as a Leprechaun.
McIntyre, 28, crossed the finish line with a remarkable time of 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 6 seconds — besting the previous record of 2 hours and 53 minutes. Following Guinness World Record guidelines, he wore the required leprechaun attire — including an attached (or grown) red beard, a hat with a buckle, a waistcoat, and emerald-colored trousers. He maintained an impressive pace throughout the 26.2-mile course despite the cumbersome costume.
“The costume started getting hot just two miles into the race, much earlier than expected.” McIntyre said. A friend sewed the large hat onto a baseball cap to keep it in place.
McIntyre used his record run to raise funds for Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury. “I wanted to do something that would raise awareness of my fundraising effort” explained McIntyre. “When I discovered there was a category for ‘fastest marathon in a leprechaun costume’, with a 2:53 record, it seemed perfect — challenging but achievable with enough training, and it also connected with my Irish heritage.”
McIntyre’s marathon journey began after he graduated from Northeastern University in 2019, where he had participated in club track and soccer. He tackled his first marathon, the Beantown Marathon, finishing with a time of 3:28 after a fall led to cramps that forced him to walk the final miles. Since then, his dedication to distance running continued, culminating in a personal best of 2:41 when he won the Fox Valley Marathon in Illinois in 2023.
Guinness World Records will review evidence submitted by McIntyre for official ratification of his attempt at breaking the world record. To document his achievement, McIntyre plans to submit witness statements and photos from throughout the course. Additionally, he recorded video of himself at every mile marker as further evidence of completing the entire marathon in costume. With his leprechaun outfit having been pre-approved by Guinness officials, McIntyre expects the record to be ratified in the coming weeks.
McIntyre’s impressive feat gained attention from spectators and runners alike as he completed the historic course in his eye-catching leprechaun attire. During his high school years at Newton North, McIntyre played soccer in the fall and specialized in the 800-meter event for both the indoor and outdoor track teams for the Tigers — less than 1/50th of the marathon distance.
To add to the challenge of race preparation, McIntyre was moving back to New England the weekend of the race, closing on a house in Rhode Island with his wife and two small children this week. McIntyre continues to raise funds for his charity, accepting donations online.
For the 129th Boston Marathon, the men’s race was won by John Korir in 2:04:45 and the women’s race by Sharon Lokedi in 2:17:22. Des Linden, a 12-time competitor and 2018 Women’s champion, marked her retirement from professional marathoning at age 41 with a 17th place 2:26:19.
The wheelchair wins were taken by Marcel Hug and Susannah Scaroni.
