IS IT a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s 1,500 soaking wet superheroes racing along Hove seafront.

Hundreds of Supermen, Batmen and Incredible Hulks joined forces on Hove Lawns yesterday to set a new world record for having the most people dressed as superheroes gathered together at the same time.

But despite their combined superpowers they could not stop the heavens from opening during the fifth Heroes Run.

Silver surfer Jane Brinkley, 27, from Hove, feared the rain would wash off the silver paint covering her body.

She said: “It only took about half an hour to paint it on with the help of my boyfriend but it is feeling a bit chilly now.”

Miss Brinkley was joined by two friends dressed as Shee-ra and Superman, who helped to beat, several times over, the previous Guinness World Record crowd of 103 superheroes.

First out of the starting blocks were the junior heroes, with Batman Philip Fagan the first to cross the line in the 500m children’s dash.

Asked what their superpowers were, sisters Isobel and Amelia Harding, aged three and two respectively, from Fletching Common, Uckfield, said they could turn naughty people into frogs and chocolate mousse.

Wonder Woman Alun Williams was joined by his Batwoman wife Mel and their children Ellis, two, who was Sportacus, Power Ranger Louis, six, and Spider-Man Sam, three.

Mr Williams said: “We’ve never done this before but thought it would be fun to take part. It’s a really great atmosphere, even with the rain.”

Justin Robinson, Nick Dodd and Jonathan Perry turned up dressed as Ghostbusters.

Justin, a nurse, from Hove, said: “We’ve saved the world twice so that makes us superheroes in my book.”

Jonathan, a 28-year-old IT worker said: “We don’t need superpowers, we’ve got proton packs.”

Adult heroes, many sponsored for their own nominated good causes, ran 5km from the Peace Statue to Hove Lagoon and back or completed the course twice for the 10km run.

The event was the brainchild of Matt Lambert and Jim MacDonald, of Passing It On, an organisation which builds schools in the poorest parts of Africa .

emily.walker@theargus.co.uk