No Dress? Then No World Record for You

Jessica Anderson denied a Guinness World Record over her attire
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted May 5, 2019 2:58 PM CDT
Updated May 5, 2019 5:00 PM CDT
Nurse Robbed of Marathon Record for Not Wearing Dress
Jessica Anderson runs the London Marathon.   (YouTube)

A nurse who ran in the London Marathon last week found her Guinness World Record in jeopardy because she didn't wear a dress, the New York Times reports. Jessica Anderson, a professional nurse, ran the marathon in 3 hours 8 minutes 22 seconds and became the fastest woman to run it in a nurse's uniform—topping Sarah Dudgeon's 2015 record by 32 seconds. But she ran in her usual blue scrubs, which Guinness didn't accept. "For the purposes of this record, the nurse's uniform must include: a blue or white nurse dress, a white pinafore apron, a traditional white nurse's cap," an official told her, per the BBC. "Tights are optional." Now Twitter users are backing Anderson and disparaging Guinness' take on nurse unies with the hashtag #WhatNursesWear.

"Very disappointed @GWR with your decision," tweets Samantha Knipe, while a male student nurse asked if Guinness would "dismiss this nurse if she happened to be male" and the Student Nurse Project urged nurses to share selfies in uniform, adding, "Let's change the archaic view." Anderson's reaction was to the point: "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," she told Runners World. Guinness says in a statement that it will review its guidelines "to ensure they reflect the world we live in today." Another upside: Anderson's popularity has helped her raise over $5,000 for a nonprofit supporting the admissions unit where she works in London. (More marathon stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X