Pakistani runners set new Guinness World Record at Boston Marathon

BOSTON: Danish Elahi and Faisal Shafi became the first Pakistani runners to set a Guinness World Record at the 129th Boston Marathon for the fastest marathon (26.2 miles) in traditional shalwar kameez.

The pair from Karachi finished the prestigious marathon in a time of 3 hours and 27 minutes, making them the first runners to finish the Boston Marathon in under four hours in Pakistan’s traditional clothing.

Elahi and Shafi started and finished together and dedicated their marathon effort to Pakistan. Elahi said, “This record is for all of Pakistan.” He was followed by Shafi, who said that they wanted to promote a positive image of Pakistan abroad:

“We wanted to showcase a positive image for Pakistan, and to show our pride in the clothing we wore, by finishing the marathon, 

” Elahi and Shafi, who finished together and wore matching green and white outfits, received positive energy from fellow runners and fans along the marathon route.

Elahi reached his milestone by earning the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal, to join an exclusive club of roughly 17,000 runners globally who have completed all six major marathons.

Shafi was recently a Six Star Finisher in 2024 and officially qualified for Boston by running the Berlin 2023 marathon, in a time of 2:58:09. The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world. There were over 50,000 runners and roughly one million spectators at the Boston Marathon.

Despite major logistical issues such as limited experience training for the marathon in shalwar kameez due to Guinness documentation issues, Elahi and Shafi’s effort touched and amazed the world. Upon