Idaho Dad Runs Marathon in 125 T-Shirts for STEM Education

A father of three in Boise, Idaho just pushed his body to the absolute limit wearing more than 100 layers of clothing for a cause he believes in. David Rush crossed a marathon finish line wearing 125 T-shirts, setting a new world record and proving that grit can overcome almost any obstacle.

The 41-year-old known as "Record Breaker" completed the 26.2-mile course on May 16 in 5 hours, 54 minutes, and 50 seconds. He beat the previous record of 100 T-shirts set by runner Brendan Matthews at the 2024 London Marathon.

The layers made Rush potato-shaped, which he joked was fitting for Idaho. He couldn't even put his arms flat against his sides, and it took 30 minutes just to put all the shirts on before the race started.

The challenge turned dangerous quickly. Just 0.7 miles in, Rush was already overheating on a day hotter than expected.

His support team sprayed him with ice water throughout the race to keep his core temperature down. At one point, Rush's hands swelled up, his lower back screamed in pain, and he nearly shut down from heatstroke.

Rush has dislocated his shoulder and nearly blacked out during similar attempts before. This time, he knew when to pause and assess whether continuing would risk his life, but he kept pushing through each checkpoint.

Why This Inspires: Rush doesn't break records for glory. For 15 years, he's used his record-breaking attempts to promote STEM education in schools.

When students tell him they could never become engineers or scientists, he shares his story. "With a growth mindset and grit, if you set your mind on it, believe in yourself and pursue with a passion, you can accomplish virtually anything, even if you're not technically good at it to start with," Rush explains.

He's juggled continuously for over 13 hours, balanced running chainsaws and lawnmowers on his chin, and run 29 miles while juggling. Each extreme challenge reinforces the same message: struggle and failure are part of the path to achievement.

Rush's three children ran the final stretch alongside him as he crossed the finish line, overcome with emotion at what their dad accomplished.