fancy dress

She added parents faced "absolutely huge" financial pressures, and did not want to have "the only child that isn't going to prom, or hasn't got the fancy dress outfit, or the new football boots."

Typically, people have taken part wearing fancy dress, and in the past teams of nuns, Smurfs and even a tribute to rock band Kiss have participated.

"The elites and the people in fancy dress get a lot of attention but I like to think we represent the club runners who were at the core of that very first marathon," he says.

The emergency vehicles are gone, the police tape has been taken down and students could be seen wearing fancy dress and in high spirits on Saturday.

Or, if you like the finer things in life, how does traversing 26.2 miles through Bordeaux's vineyards in fancy dress, sampling wine and cheese at each fuelling station, sound?