GO GHERKIN!
WHY RUN AS THE GHERKIN?
I wanted to run the 2014 London Marathon in an eye-catching costume, to get maximum publicity for my fundraising efforts and to give people a really good reason to sponsor me. I wanted a costume that would stand out, and be representative of the city where I will attempt this challenge. London has many iconic landmarks, but few are as distinctive as The Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe). And it's the perfect shape for a full-body costume!
The costume is 8 feet tall and weighs around 5 kg. It took months of hard work to make: my girlfriend Susannah and I made it ourselves from papier mache, wood, velcro, parts of old rucksacks and lots and lots of paint...
Hover over the images to read how we did it, and click on them to see larger versions (more photos to come).
We started with an ornamental garden obelisk from our local DIY shop.
We wrapped the frame in old cardboard boxes...
...then we covered the boxes in bubble wrap and cling film.
Then began the long process of covering the entire structure in papier mache.
It took 6 layers of papier mache before the Gherkin structure was strong enough.
We found the London Review of Books made for good strong papier mache - and Ridley enjoyed reading it too!
We cut it in half lengthways and removed the mould.
We then began painting it with special weatherproof paint.
The inside will also need protection - not from rain, but from my sweat!
Before we got too far with the decoration, we cut face and shoulder holes.
We used an old rucksack frame as the harness
To attach the harness and velcro to keep the two halves together, we used a special awl and sailmaker's twine.
to keep the structure rigid, we added some wooden struts - stuck down with gaffer tape.
At every stage we had to test that it would fit and be suitable for running in. This was the first outdoor test.
Then came the complicated process of adding the distinctive diagonal lines
the finished costume is taller than King's Chapel!
...but it does make it hard to get around!
London Marathon training, Gherkin-style
doing my Rocky impression for the Go Gherkin movie