Lloyd Martin becomes the youngest participant with Down's syndrome to complete a marathon

Teenage runner Lloyd Martin's dream came true yesterday as he became a Guinness World Records breaker at the 2024 TCS London Marathon. 

The 19-year-old completed the 26.2-mile challenge in 6:46:10, with his mum Ceri Hooper guiding him around the course, to become the youngest person with an intellectual impairment to complete the marathon. 

Watch him cross the Finish Line below.

After getting into running when the family began to take part in parkrun regularly, Lloyd set his sights on completing the iconic London Marathon. 

“I knew he could run 5K, so we just increased his long run by a mile every week,” said Ceri. “We only ever did three runs a week, because I didn't want to injure him or push him too hard. We just wanted to get him round in one piece and enjoy it; I didn't want it to be a slog. 

“Every single training run he's been there with his kit on,” she continued. “It doesn't matter what the weather is, he's been brilliant. 

“We approached Guinness World Records mainly because Lloyd loves the Guinness Book of World Records – he's got them all from way back – so we thought, ‘Wow, if there is a category out there that works for Lloyd, let's go for it!’” 

“Anything is possible,” said Lloyd of his attempt, “and anyone who has a Down's syndrome kid in their family needs to understand that.” 

Watch his story below.