i used to work in retail. i once had great pleasure in telling a very stroppy woman that the boots she wanted to return as they were faulty were 5 years old but i could offer her a refund for their current value of £1.40. she stormed off taking the boots with her.
+1 for the minimus. very light, doesn't get too hot as its very breathable, good hood with easy to use toggles and a good front pocket which fits an OS map no problem. it does rustle though!
As was said on the previous thread linked to by phil pub, if the OP is genuine (???) he clearly wants people to comment about how shocked they are by his weight. I would however recommend Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. Great book.
i did all my training for and ran a marathon in the brooks green silence with no problems. depends on the idividual i suppose but if they don't give you any problems in training then no reason why you couldn't run the race in them.