An In-Depth Interview With the Guy Who Ran a Record-Setting Marathon in an XFL Uniform

Brian Goldsmith, who set a Guinness World Record earlier this month, is an inspiring and entertaining character.

Brian Goldsmith training in the days leading up to the Dallas Marathon. In the actual race, he wore hip, thigh, and knee pads.

Last week I wrote a Uni Watch blog post about a guy named Brian Goldsmith, who had just set a Guinness World Record by running the Dallas Marathon in a football uniform — an Arlington Renegades uni, to be specific. His time of 3:29:30 beat the previous record, set in 2019 by an Australian named Alistair Kealty, by about four minutes.

Shortly after I published that blog post, Goldsmith thanked me on Twitter, which was a nice surprise. (It turns out that a friend of his who’s a Uni Watch reader had sent him the post.) I was intrigued — not just about his marathon feat but about the whole process of setting a Guinness World Record — so I DM’d him and asked if he’d be willing to do an interview, and he agreed.

Goldsmith, who’s 37, is an interesting cat. He’s originally from Buffalo and still goes back there each year to raise money for charity by running to the Bills’ stadium before their home opener. He moved to the Dallas area five years ago to work for the MLS team FC Dallas and now works for the XFL’s current champions, the Arlington Renegades (which explains why he was wearing that uniform in the marathon). He also works as a fitness trainer, participates in various endurance events, and maintains an active fitness-themed presence on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

He’s also a fun, entertaining guy. A few days before the marathon, he even shot a gag video of himself wearing the Renegades uni at work, just so he could “get used to it”:

I really enjoyed my Zoom conversation with Goldsmith, and I think you’ll like it too. Here’s a transcript, edited for length and clarity.

Uni Watch: Tell me a little bit about your job with the Renegades. How long have you worked for them, and in what capacity?

Brian Goldsmith: I played professional football — with a low-level arena team, the Buffalo Lightning — and I’ve always wanted to be around the sport. I was working for FC Dallas, the soccer team, but then I lost that job because of the pandemic. When the XFL announced they were coming back to Dallas in 2022, I thought that could be my chance to get back into pro football, so I applied and got a job.

Goldsmith, indicated by the arrow, in a team portrait with the Buffalo Lightning.

BG [continued]: Because the XFL is a startup league, I wear a lot of hats with the Renegades, which is exciting. Basically, I do anything related to sales, getting butts in the seats — a group outing, your corporate outing, season tickets, suites. And then on game days, I manage a lot of the fan experiences, I manage the kids on the field for the high-five tunnels, and that kind of stuff. 

Goldsmith on the field at the Arlington Renegades’ home stadium.

UW: Let’s talk about the Dallas Marathon. Am I correct in thinking this was your first marathon?

BG: Sort of. I’d never signed up for a marathon and gone to the starting line with a timing chip and all that. But I used to work for a running shoe store in Buffalo, and I had to work the day of the Buffalo Marathon, so I ran the marathon route the day before, just to show the people who I was training — like, “Hey, I can do it and so can you!” Also, this past July I did an Ironman, and a marathon is a part of that.

UW: When did you get the idea of running a marathon while wearing a football uniform?