I’ve been hard at work making a rhino horn for my costume, finding old cycling helmets in our shed and generally making myself look ridiculous in the name of charity 
Latest rhino costume
The horn needs a bit more work so that the wire frame can’t be seen, does anyone have any tips? It’s made out of garden wire and tissue paper, and I’m going to have to make another smaller one for the top of my head.
The cycling helmet will be held on with some kind of headband (maybe with some wickaway type material for when I start sweating buckets!), the rhinos mouth will come down over the front of the cycling helmet. I’m thinking of adding some ‘legs’ like the official costumes to hang off the shoulder pads, that way I can decide if I want my arms in them or not ie. when not sweaty, arms are in the legs (as it were), when I start overheating, I can take my arms out of the legs again. As for the back legs, I’m going to probably find some grey jogging bottoms and paint them to look like rhino legs. There’s no point making ‘feet’ to cover my own feet as the London Marathon uses trainer chips to time you (and I guess make sure you’re not cheating!).
I also need to make a tail – half a million spectators will be watching my bottom!
Tags: Costume, london marathon, marathon, rhino, rhinoceros, Running, save the rhino
February 23, 2009 at 11:01 am
[...] This is Becki in her Rhino costume, which she’s made herself – charting its progress on her blog. [...]
March 5, 2009 at 9:27 pm
That’s one wacky looking constume! Good on you. You planning on doing some training runs with it on?
March 6, 2009 at 9:53 am
Thanks! I’ve amended the costume slightly and hope to post an update this weekend
I’m going to do some short-ish runs under cover of nightfall (so no-one can see me!) wearing the costume…
March 9, 2009 at 1:38 pm
[...] this year) as I’m hoping to debut the rhino costume. On a side note, I have given up on the paper and wire horn because I just couldn’t get those ridges on the side out. I mocked up a horn out of cotton on [...]
March 10, 2009 at 10:32 am
I don’t know what you mean when you say it looks ridiculous.
I might be being daft, but is papier mache an option?
March 10, 2009 at 1:22 pm
The original horn was basically papier mache, but as I posted in ‘Running with a cold’ I’ve made a fabric version which is far lighter and also a much better shape. Just have to work out how to attach it to my head. I was going for some kind of hood thing but I think that would get too sweaty so I’m now trying to think how I could attach the horn to a baseball cap or similar….
March 23, 2009 at 10:41 pm
[...] shoulder pads I was originally going to wear would chafe like crazy. They might be made for sport, but not [...]