This was no jog around the course in fancy dress though – the quartet finished the 21-kilometer course in just under 90 minutes: 1:29:29, a well above average time even for an unshackled runner.

Meanwhile, the attempt now awaits confirmation that it is an official record, while the tale of how they got to the event is worth telling.

"We actually didn't practice with the handcuffs on," Joshua Lally, one of the four that pulled off the feat, told ERR News. "We had planned to, but rather embarrassingly the handcuffs were confiscated at the airport. So we had to buy some more on arrival and only got chance to warm up together with them all locked, so we were very unsure whether it was possible."

The group had trained together, including interval running but without using the arms – among other things these are usually central in counterbalancing leg rotation, maintaining balance, and saving energy.

Even with the training, coordination on the day proved challenging. "We didn't want to get in anyone's way so we started quite far back, and going in and out and avoiding obstacles was challenging," Lally explained. "Not having any arm movement meant the arms and upper body quickly tired."

The four were also decked out in stripy "prisoner" outfits, which drew attention along the route.

"I've run a lot of different races and it's the most cheers I've ever heard," Lally said. "The spectators seemed to find it quite funny — a lot were recording and shouting things like 'the police are chasing you.' Even other runners were giving support."

In fact spectators on the day can help with the record ratification process, too. To secure it, the group needs as much footage as possible. Lally recorded every two kilometres, but said the quality of the clips isn't sufficient on its own. Anyone who took photos or video on race day, Saturday, September 12, can send them to Joshua Lally here or to ERR News here.

Estonian records topple

Race weekend in Tallinn saw more conventional records falling too, in both the full and half-marathons. This included several Estonian veterans' records getting broken. Aleksandr Kuleshov ran a marathon in under two and a half hours for the first time, setting a new Estonian record in the M45–49 age group with a time of 2:29.29 — breaking his own record in the process.

Among the women, Siiri Kaaver set a new Estonian record in the W60–64 age group with 3:30.30, more than five minutes faster than the previous mark.

Aimi Pihel also set what should be a new Estonian record in the W75–79 half marathon category with 2:09.03. However, as Marathon100 does not have access to runners' dates of birth, there is some ambiguity over whether Pihel is in that age group or is still competing in the W70–74 category. Esmeralda Lille, also born in 1951, was a couple of minutes faster at 2:07.09, but her 75th birthday was reportedly still a few days away at the time of the event.

Evans Kimtai Kiprono and Vivian Cherotich, both of Kenya, won Sunday's marathon, while two Kenyans, Vincent Kiptoo and Regina Wambui Ndungu, also took victory in the men's and women's half marathon the day before.

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