400-Pound Sumo Wrestler Kelly Gneiting Finishes Los Angeles Marathon, Sets World Record

by Elizabeth Cohen on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 11:41AM

At the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, the winner finished at 2:06:35 — an incredible accomplishment for the 26.2-mile race.

The big news, however, wasn't the winner; it was Kelly Gneiting, the 40-year-old former Sumo wrestler, and his new Guinness World Record for being the heaviest man to complete a marathon. He completed the marathon at a reported 396.2 pounds in 9:48:52, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"I'd like to see the Kenyan improve his marathon time by two hours," Gneiting said of the winner.

Through heavy rains and strong winds, he jogged for the first eight miles, then continued to walk the final 18, but he said he felt delirious around mile 10, when he lost track how far he had gone.

"I was really struggling in the last five miles," he said, "but I said to myself, 'If I have to crawl, I will.'"

Watch the video below to see a recap of the 400-pound man's race.