Four legs proved better than two when it came to setting an unusual world record at Sunday’s MBNA Chester Marathon.

Runners Roger Taylor and Phil Cape decided to use the race to attempt to break the record for the fastest marathon run by a pantomime horse.

With Roger, 39, in front and Phil, 42, taking up the rear, the pair smashed the existing record of four hours and 49 minutes.

They had been hoping to shave about two minutes off the time but ended up taking almost 15 minutes off it as they trotted round in four hours and 35 minutes.

Phil Cape and Roger Taylor

“It was tough going but, with some fantastic support, we got around,” said Roger who, like Phil, is from Stone, Staffordshire.

The idea came about when Phil wrote on his Facebook page that he was “running like a panto horse” after seeing a physio. It prompted Roger to look into what the marathon record was for a panto horse.

“We thought it was possible and started planning,” said Roger. “It’s a random idea but we followed it through.”

Sunday’s race saw 5,000 runners line up for the main marathon, metric marathon (over 26.2km rather than 26.2 miles) and family-friendly mini marathon.

Sadly, one of the runners in the metric marathon – keen runner and father-of-three Trevor Cording, 50, of Northwich – collapsed on the course and later died at the Countess of Chester Hospital.