Jessica Anderson is a nurse at the Royal London Hospital and marathon runner that recently broke the record for the “Fastest marathon by a woman in a nurse’s uniform”. She finished the London Marathon in 3:08:22, beating the previous record by 22 seconds. However, Guinness did not recognize her time because her uniform needed to be a “white or blue dress, pinafore apron and white cap or it wouldn’t count as a record,” she said in an Instagram message on Sunday.
Although her uniform is approved by the National Health Service, Guinness’ definition is based on old nurse uniforms which required a dress. They defined it when the record was first set and hold all the new times to the same uniform standards. In an interview with Runner’s World last Friday, Jessica said, “I’m sure Guinness World Records don’t intend to cause offense, but it would be nice if they decided to revise their criteria instead of reinforcing old gender stereotypes. I get that it’s supposed to be a fun thing, but their definition is just so outdated.”
The current record holder who set the record in 2015 wore an antiquated nurse uniform that Guinness approved of.
In 2015 Sarah Dudgeon (UK) ran @LondonMarathon dressed as a nurse in 03:08:54, raising money for @actionmedres #InternationalNursesDay 🏃♀️
Jessica was annoyed with the decision but happy because she was able to raise a lot of money for charity and received an outpouring of support from the nursing community.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Jessica Anderson’s Boyfriend Is Also a Marathon Runner
Jessica Anderson’s boyfriend, Leon Cerrone, ran alongside her as her “pacer”, helping her stay on pace to break the record during the London Marathon. The two crossed the finish line together. The two have several photos posted on each others’ Instagram of them training and competing. It’s unclear if the two are married or just dating but they are very supportive of one another.
Leon is an avid hip-hop fan, J Dilla specifically, and has several posts of his record collection. He’s also a competitive marathon runner when he’s not running with Jessica.
The two are still together.
2. She’s a Seasoned Marathon Runner
According to her Instagram, Jessica is an avid runner that has been competing in marathons for the past 4-5 years. She has several photos from marathons across Europe including the Amsterdam marathon and also competes in half marathons. She’s a member of Run Dem Crew which is a “collective of creative heads with a passion for exploration of cities and bringing people together through the love of running.” They posted in support of Jessica following the marathon.
She also competed in the London Marathon in 2018 but didn’t wear scrubs that time, opting for a more practical ensemble instead of trying to break the record.
3. Jessica Anderson Raised over $5,000 for Bart’s Charity
For Jessica, breaking the record was a secondary goal. Her main goal was to raise awareness and generate donations for Bart’s Charity, and organization that supports “the remarkable work of staff and researchers at the Barts Health group of hospitals and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, funding ground-breaking research, state-of-the-art equipment and innovative healthcare projects”
Even though she didn’t officially break the record, the large amount of press and attention she got after Guinness didn’t award her the record made the donations skyrocket. Her donation page on justgiving.com is currently at £5,102.45, achieving 1,020% of her original £500 goal, and the donations keep coming in.
5. She’s a Talented Chef
Jessica’s Instagram feed is dominated by food photos. And not food photos from fancy restaurants, food that she prepares herself. Her feed features everything from steaks to cakes, and she tags her friends in the photos that are lucky enough to receive her baked goods.
Her feed has taken a recent break from the food for marathon training but will most likely go back now that the race is over.
5. Nurses on Social Media Rallied Behind Jessica Following the Marathon
Following @GWR’s decision not to recognise @Janderzzz outstanding achievement as her nursing uniform didn’t match their specifications – a dress – please share a selfie wearing your uniform showing #WhatNursesWear
Let’s change the archaic view #StNProject
A post from The Student Nurse Project started a movement on Twitter of nurses posting their work uniforms in support of Jessica. The post currently has 1,789 likes, 765 retweets, and over 180 replies of nurses in scrubs standing in solidarity with Jessica.
@StNurseProject @GWR @Janderzzz @GWR one of many uniforms i have worn throughout my healthcare experience. Get with the times.
Jessica was taken aback by the outpouring of support. She retweeted the post and added a comment on Twitter saying that their photos were “amazing”.
The outpouring of support continues on that post and with Jessica’s charity. She may not have officially broken the record, but she has made a cultural impact and raised a lot of money for a good cause.