Crossgates star turns grief into record breaking mission

An East Leeds athlete who rose to fame as the fastest person to run dressed as wrestler John Cena is now chasing another world record in 2026, after celebrating his 400th parkrun last year.

Matthew Akpan, 37, from Cross Gates, was diagnosed with Autism in 2013. He is already a Guinness World Record holder as the fastest person to run a marathon while dressed as a wrestler. 

Now, he hopes to break the record for a man with an intellectual impairment at the London Marathon, while raising money for the National Autistic Society. His target time is around two hours and 52 minutes.

He said: “I’ve run six marathons before, and I’ve always run under three hours, so I know what the base is to do that.”

Matthew’s journey began in tragedy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he lost two family members, including his father. 

Seeking a way to honour his late family members, he turned to something that had long been part of his wellbeing: running. That idea soon grew into something bigger, something bolder and more rooted in compassion and nostalgic memories. Now he has taken part in many races and marathons over the years.

He explained: “I decided to do a Guinea for a record because of my love of running, and that’s where I chose John Cena because he was doing charity work. But me and my dad used to watch WWE wrestling for 20 years together. So that was kind of like where the tribute came in, and he’d be looking down on me proud of me if I could do it.”

Matthew said public interest in his achievements encouraged him to think differently about what was possible. A key moment came when his friend, CBeebies star George Webster, began attracting national attention as a TV presenter.

Matthew said, “I felt like, well, if he’s doing it, why don’t I do it as well? Why don’t I try and push things forward for people with autism? Even if it’s uncommon for somebody with autism to have that sort of achievement, I thought: why not?”

His growing list of achievements has also brought him into the orbit of other well known names. He met Olympic triathlete Jonny Brownlee during a workplace event and the pair have stayed in touch ever since. His running success also led to an encounter with professional boxer Josh Warrington, who presented him with an award after a local race and later sent him a photo via Instagram. And during last year’s Great North Run, BBC Radio 1 host Mina Shannon stepped in as one of the official witnesses needed to validate his world record attempt, something Matthew said was crucial because “without her statement… I may not have been able to get it.”

One of the things that prompted Matthew to keep going despite the challenges and hardships he has faced along the way is inspiring people. What he did not expect was how people would respond. The first record sparked interest and admiration from others, and that momentum led him onto a path he had not initially planned. “After my first one, I found that a lot of people are interested in and inspired by what I’ve done. People were saying: “Oh you’ve done so well.”

Despite his multiple Guinness World Records, Matthew said his proudest achievement is something else entirely.

“My biggest achievement was getting a degree because that took me the longest to get,” he explained.

His sports development degree, meant to take three years, ended up taking seven due to failing twice and navigating mitigating circumstances. However, after persistence, and hard work, it finally paid off and he passed with flying colours.

Beyond running and studying however, he has bigger ambitions. He is planning to set up a junior parkrun in East Leeds and has been announced as an ambassador for the Magic Breakfast charity, which provides nourishing breakfasts to over 350,000 children and young people across England and Scotland each day. 

Matthew said he wants others to see that progress is possible at any stage of life. Reflecting on his own journey, he said: “The message is for people not to give up on their dreams, and for those who have got a dream: dream big. It does take a lot of strength and resistance,” he said.