‘Relishing the Moment’: A Runner Ran 2:49 at the NYC Marathon—Dressed as a Hot Dog

I ran Sunday's New York City Marathon in some of my finest FlipBelt gear and spent the final five miles dealing with cramps, a full stomach, and legs that were mad at me for taking on this course willingly for the third time. As for Sarah Pezzino, her race went a little differently.The 23-year-old from Easton, Pennsylvania, showed up to the starting line in Staten Island dressed as a hot dog and finished in 2:49:15, which, after hearing, made me think I could’ve done a lot more than just iron my name onto my tank top.Pezzino, a personal trainer and group fitness coach, was attempting to break a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon dressed as a savory food. The previous mark was 3:11:34, which, incredibly, she beat by more than 22 minutes! Guinness still has to review the evidence before anything becomes official, but judging by the number of people who noticed her on Sunday, finding witnesses won't be a problem.When speaking with Runner’s World, Pezzino said the hot dog wasn't even originally part of her marathon plans—and neither, for a while, was running another marathon at all.Pezzino had been competing since childhood, starting in a local running series at age 4 before moving on to cross country and track in high school and college. She made her marathon debut in Chicago in 2024. She returned the following year, but a serious medical emergency at Mile 17 forced her to drop out. Afterward, she strongly considered giving up running altogether."I'd put too much pressure on myself and lost the joy in the sport," she told Runner's World.A close friend helped convince her to give racing another chance, and they came up with a plan to run Chicago and New York in 2026, raise money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), and get their friends and community involved along the way. With any luck, doing this would be a chance to enjoy running again without making every race about the clock.New York Road Runners//Getty ImagesPezzino (center, in a hot dog suit) averaged 6:28 mile pace during the NYC Marathon.Pezzino had a deep personal connection to the fundraising part of their plans. She lost her mother to a rare cancer in 2022, and Mike, the husband of a close family friend, died from multiple myeloma. She had partnered with MMRF for her first marathon and wanted to reconnect with the organization. With help from her coworkers at CycleFit Lehigh Valley, she organized everything from raffles and 6Ks to ice cream scooping and what they called “no-shower happy hours.” All these fundraising efforts brought in more than $8,000.And sometime during all that planning, someone suggested she run New York as a hot dog.A friend had spotted a costume at Target, so Pezzino went to see it for herself. She tried it on, filmed a video of herself running through the aisles, and sent it to the group. "The next thing I knew, I was walking out of Target with a hot dog costume," she recalled.The Guinness idea came later, when she started looking into potential records and discovered the savory food category. By September, she'd committed to the attempt, despite the rather obvious logistical challenge of actually running 26.2 miles in the thing, which was labeled as suitable for ages 8 and up.That left a lot of leeway. Pezzino said the body fit an adult, but the headpiece was considerably smaller, so she wore it as a hood instead. Someone from CycleFit helped tailor the sides, which helped.Her total mileage running in the outfit before race day? Three miles, completed the day before.Fortunately, New York's cool weather on race day worked in her favor, and she didn't experience the overheating or chafing that could've made for a miserable afternoon. She carried a Nathan handheld water bottle through the first 20 miles to help with fueling, and the costume itself gave her surprisingly little trouble."The biggest issue was getting it off afterward, when it was all sweaty," she said.Race morning brought plenty of attention, even before she'd crossed the starting line. Runners asked whether she intended to wear the costume the entire way or ditch it with her throwaway clothes. Pezzino happily posed for pictures, and once she got moving, the commentary from spectators was about what you'd expect.She heard plenty of "HOOOT DOOOG!" along the course, plus more than a few people yelling, "Look at that glizzy!"Pezzino was enjoying herself enough that she barely thought about the record. Three weeks earlier, she'd run a personal best 2:45:57 in Chicago, but New York was an entirely different experience, with no thought to chasing another PR, even with the Guinness attempt on the line."In New York, my mind was nowhere near the clock," she said. "It was set on having fun, embracing the crowds, seeing the city, and taking the race mile by mile."New York Road Runners//Getty ImagesPezzino poses at the finish in Central Park.She spent much of the race chatting with other runners, jumping into photos, and enjoying the crowds rather than sweating her splits. And when she reached Central Park, she found herself celebrating a finish that would have seemed pretty unlikely a year earlier.She'd even attracted some attention from a familiar and very famous face, who was serving as grand marshal for the event."Tracy Morgan saw me finish and said, 'I hope that hot dog is relishing this moment,'" Pezzino recalled.Within seconds, Pezzino said, a broadcaster had pulled her aside for an interview and clipped a microphone onto the mustard portion of her costume. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd accomplished, which seems fair considering she'd just run a sub-three-hour marathon dressed as something you'd order at a baseball game.Of everything that happened on Sunday, though, Pezzino's favorite moment came just before the finish, when she spotted her friends and CycleFit teammates cheering in the final 200 meters. These were the people who'd encouraged her to return to racing, helped with the fundraising, and supported her through two marathons in three weeks. Having them there as she finished meant more to her than any reaction to the costume."I didn't cross a single finish line this year alone," she said.Find Your Next Running PlaylistSean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.