The London Marathon was briefly led by a random bloke who stormed ahead of the pack - including the best long-distance athletes in the world - at the start of Sunday's race.
A man was spotted briefly winning the London Marathon after sprinting past the pro athletes at the start of the race.
The bloke saw an opportunity for his five minutes of fame on Sunday (October 2) as he zoomed ahead of the 40,000-strong pack, including the world's best long-distance runners.
Wearing a blue vest, loose-fitting black shorts and obnoxiously-bright yellow socks, he certainly stood out from the crowd. And just to make 100% sure he didn't go unnoticed, Richard Lee-Wright pumped his arm in the air in celebration of his lead.
The BBC commentary team acknowledged Richard's presence at the front with a cheeky dig. They said: "The grand spectacle of thousands coming together in the pursuit of a common goal. Or the ones who look for a little bit of individual glory, like that man at the front there."
Explaining the stunt, Richard told the Metro: "It all started about six years ago. A friend and me were watching the London Marathon and he said, obviously, that they run really fast.
"I told him 'I could lead the London Marathon' and he said there was no chance. When I put my arm in the air, that’s probably because I realized my dream had come true, and that I’d done it."
Unsurprisingly, he wasn't able to keep up his rapid pace off the line and finished in a respectable 3 hours and 23 minutes. The men's race was won by Kenyan Amos Kipruto in a time of 2:04:39.
As eye-catching as Richard's cameo was, it's by far not the most shocking moment the London Marathon has seen over the years. In 2017, Moroccan runner Abdelhadi El Harti was left red-faced after he accidentally flashed the crowd.
His penis fell out of the bottom of his very short shorts, leaving the onlookers nearby with an eyeful. But at least his mishap was unintentional.
The same can't be said for a cheating couple who scammed the event last year by running with the same registration number which they had literally copy and pasted, with eagle-eyed spectators calling them out.
A man was spotted briefly winning the London Marathon after sprinting past the pro athletes at the start of the race.
The bloke saw an opportunity for his five minutes of fame on Sunday (October 2) as he zoomed ahead of the 40,000-strong pack, including the world's best long-distance runners.
Wearing a blue vest, loose-fitting black shorts and obnoxiously-bright yellow socks, he certainly stood out from the crowd. And just to make 100% sure he didn't go unnoticed, Richard Lee-Wright pumped his arm in the air in celebration of his lead.
The BBC commentary team acknowledged Richard's presence at the front with a cheeky dig. They said: "The grand spectacle of thousands coming together in the pursuit of a common goal. Or the ones who look for a little bit of individual glory, like that man at the front there."
Explaining the stunt, Richard told the Metro: "It all started about six years ago. A friend and me were watching the London Marathon and he said, obviously, that they run really fast.
"I told him 'I could lead the London Marathon' and he said there was no chance. When I put my arm in the air, that’s probably because I realized my dream had come true, and that I’d done it."
Unsurprisingly, he wasn't able to keep up his rapid pace off the line and finished in a respectable 3 hours and 23 minutes. The men's race was won by Kenyan Amos Kipruto in a time of 2:04:39.
As eye-catching as Richard's cameo was, it's by far not the most shocking moment the London Marathon has seen over the years. In 2017, Moroccan runner Abdelhadi El Harti was left red-faced after he accidentally flashed the crowd.
His penis fell out of the bottom of his very short shorts, leaving the onlookers nearby with an eyeful. But at least his mishap was unintentional.
The same can't be said for a cheating couple who scammed the event last year by running with the same registration number which they had literally copy and pasted, with eagle-eyed spectators calling them out.
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