Runner with MS breaks half marathon record time

2 hours ago

Holly Nichols

News image — Chris White started running in 2024, seven years after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Graham White Chris White stands on a wet road at the finish area of a race, holding both arms in the air. He is wearing a yellow and blue race vest, black shorts, arm sleeves, and a medal around the neck. Other participants and spectators move around in the background near metal barriers. — Chris White started running in 2024, seven years after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

A runner with multiple sclerosis (MS) has broken the record for the fastest half marathon run by a person with the condition, despite being told to avoid intense exercise after his diagnosis.

Chris White, from Luton in Bedfordshire, finished the Brighton Half Marathon in 1:30:46 on 1 March, beating the previous Guinness World Record of 1:33:08.

White was diagnosed with MS in 2017 after feeling a sensation in his legs which he described as feeling "stuck in the mud".

The 42-year-old only took up running two years ago and said the sport had given him time to process his diagnosis and "deal with" his own thoughts.

marathon-photos.com A group of runners is moving along a wet road during a race on a rainy day. Chris White is in the foreground, wearing a yellow and blue vest with the number 1808. He is running beside another runner in a black vest with a rainbow-coloured diagonal stripe and the number 420. Several other runners follow behind, while spectators and race marshals stand behind metal barriers on the right side of the road. The sky is grey and overcast, and the pavement is shiny from the rain. — White was diagnosed in 2017 after feeling a sensation in his legs as if he were "stuck in the mud"

Multiple sclerosis is an auto-immune condition that affects the body's central nervous system, causing a range of symptoms including blurred vision and problems with movement and thinking.

More than 150,000 people in the UK have MS.

White told the BBC he suffers with extreme fatigue, numbness and balances issues as a result of the disease.

Immediately after his diagnosis, White was told to "avoid intense exercise" and he put on three stones (19kg) in weight in the two years that followed.

He started running in 2024 after "listening to an interview on the radio about someone with MS doing a half marathon" and has since completed more than 15 half marathons.

The race covers 13.1 miles (21.1 km).

At the end of 2025, his partner suggested he try to break the world record for the fastest half marathon run by a person with MS, as his personal best at the time was only six minutes slower.

White self-isolated for two weeks before the race to ensure he did not pick up an illness, as his immune system was "deficient" due to his MS.

After finding out he had broken the record, White said he was "stunned" and "felt very proud".

The world record will now be confirmed by Guinness World Records and is pending official certification.

Chris White Chris White is running along a paved path in a park during daylight. He is wearing a bright yellow and blue athletic vest, dark shorts, and neon orange running shoes. His vest says 'MS Trust' in blue writing. The path is beside a black metal fence that borders a small lake. The water is lined with tall willow trees with long, drooping branches. — White will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the MS Trust

White will now be taking on the 2026 London Marathon in April, to raise funds for the MS Trust, which supported him when he was first diagnosed.

The event will be White's first full marathon and the runner described how he has been increasing "strength training" and visiting an osteopath to prepare for the full distance.

White said he did not think "many people really understand what it [MS] is or the impact it can have" and said he wanted to run for the MS Trust to help "raise the visibility and awareness" of the illness and the work the trust does to help people.

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