Manni ‘Primed’ to run London Marathon for The Salvation Army!

A man is set to take on the London Marathon for The Salvation Army dressed in an Optimus Prime costume that he 3D printed himself!

Manni Rai (46) who lives in Ilford in London is a seasoned long-distance runner, having taken on the London Marathon eight times already for various charities and always in fancy dress. Each marathon saw Manni dressed as characters including Batman and Iron Man – with all costumes made by himself.

3D printing is a hobby for Manni, who works in Financial Services. He is currently making his Optimus Prime costume with some elements of it, such as the back armour taking more than 56 hours to print and another three days to sand, paint, and assemble! Manni hopes to keep the total weight of his costume under 18kg and wears a weighted vest and leg and arm weights that he gradually makes heavier during his marathon training.

Manni said: “I started making the Optimus Prime costume in September last year. The 3D printing is the easy bit; it’s the post print work and making it wearable that’s harder. I have learned from costumes I’ve made in previous years in terms of what works and what doesn’t.

“I ran last year’s marathon dressed as War Machine from the Iron Man 2 movie, and part of that costume on my arms kept slipping down and stopping my arms bending and my earphones fell out inside my helmet at the start, so I had no music to listen to. I’m trying to avoid anything like that happening this year by putting these lessons into the design work for the new suit.”

Manni’s chosen to run the marathon for The Salvation Army as social injustice is something he cares a lot about.

“I travel a lot, and I see the awful reality of homelessness both across the world and in my own hometown. Giving something back is important to me and I know The Salvation Army does a lot of work to help people who are homeless including here in Ilford so I wanted to raise some money that will make a difference. Homelessness can happen to anyone, and it shouldn’t fall to charities to pick up what government and others should be doing more to help with.”

“I also see the issues that drugs cause in the area I live in and have been very impressed by The Salvation Army’s work to help people who suffer from addiction. The Salvation Army provides a safe space with no judgement; they just look to see how they can help people in this situation.”

Amy Plummer, Events Fundraising Officer at The Salvation Army said: “We are thrilled that Manni is taking on the London Marathon in support of The Salvation Army – and doing it dressed as Optimus Prime! We love the creativity and effort he’s put into this costume, and we can’t wait to cheer him on!

“Manni’s brilliant efforts will make a real difference to the lives of people we support, helping us to continue our vital work in communities across the UK, including Ilford.”

Manni is hoping to complete the marathon in less than seven hours and based on experience from previous years, is prepared to be asked by people to stop for selfies all along the route!

“It’s amazing to run the London Marathon, there is always an incredible atmosphere. I know there will be points where I will find it tough and wearing the suit will hurt but hearing the crowd shouting your name and words of encouragement, and the hugely positive vibe and support from everyone, including fellow runners always helps me push through.”

To support Manni’s fundraising, and follow the progress of the costume build, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/manni-prime