What Nurses Wear: Outpouring of support for NHS nurse told she did not beat London Marathon record 'because she wore trousers'

Jessica Anderson, who works at the Royal London Hospital
Eric Tolentino/@Eric_Tolentino
Jacob Jarvis5 May 2019

Nurses are showing support for a fellow NHS worker told her London Marathon record attempt would only count if she ran the race in a skirt.

Jessica Anderson, a Royal London Hospital nurse, wanted to be the quickest woman to finish the 26.2 mile race dressed as a nurse on Sunday.

However despite crossing the finish line in 3.08:22, beating the previous time, Guinness World Records (GWR) told Ms Anderson her attempt would not count.

The reason given was that she was wearing scrubs with trousers and GWR rules stipulate a nurse's uniform must include a blue or white dress, a pinafore apron and a traditional nurse's cap.

London Marathon 2019 - In pictures

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Ms Anderson was told scrubs are too close to the fancy dress requirements for a doctor's uniform.

Since sharing this news, which has prompted GWR to reassess the attempt, there has been an outpouring of comradery for Ms Anderson using the hashtag "#WhatNursesWear".

This has seen multiple colleagues point out that they often wear scrubs, with trousers, and their uniforms also vary.

One, sharing a photo of her in a navy tunic with trousers, said: “Nursing is not about whether we wear dresses, tunics or scrubs, not whether we wear white, blue or navy; it’s about delivering the best care for our patients and their families and I can absolutely promise you @GWR that a dress does not make you better at that!”

Another nurse, based in Dundee, wrote: “Sometimes I wear tunics and trousers, sometimes I wear scrubs. I also wear hard work, professionalism, care, compassion, a shoulder to cry on, blood, sweat, tears and every other bodily fluid you could imagine. I never wear a dress though, oddly enough.”

One using the hashtag simply wrote: “We don’t wear fancy dress hate to break it to you.”

Many said the GWP rules regarding the uniform were “outdated”.

Ms Anderson previously told Runner’s World: “I was quite taken aback when I read that they'd rejected my application.

“Some of the nurses I work with do wear dresses, but mostly we wear scrubs or a tunic and trousers.”

Ms Anderson, who has raised more than £3,000 for Barts Health NHS Trust, hopes GWR will stop "reinforcing old gender stereotypes".

“I'm sure Guinness World Records don't intend to cause offence, but it would be nice if they decided to revise their criteria," she said.

GWR has pledged to look into their costume policy and a statement said: “Inclusiveness and respect are values that Guinness World Records holds extremely dear.

“While we always need to ensure we can differentiate between categories, it is quite clear that this record title is long overdue a review, which we will conduct as a priority in the coming days."

The official world record for a woman running a marathon in a nurse's uniform is held by Sarah Dudgeon.

She set a time of 3:08:54 in 2015.

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