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Runner speaks out after sprinting to front of London Marathon

Home> Sport

Published 07:56 3 Oct 2022 GMT+1

Runner speaks out after sprinting to front of London Marathon

The bloke came flying out of the blocks ahead of the top athletes, punching the air as he took the lead

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

A man who sprinted to the front of the London Marathon has spoken out. Watch him race to the lead here:

The London Marathon is a marathon, not a sprint – obviously – but Richard Lee-Wright seemingly didn't get the memo.

As the race began yesterday (Sunday 2 October) the 38-year-old, from Devon, legged it out to the front of the pack, surging past the top athletes and punching the air in his luminous socks.

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Of course, he couldn't keep that pace going the entire race, but it made the nation smile and his mission was accomplished.

"It all started about six years ago," he told Metro. "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.

"I'd told people for years that I was going to do this and they laughed at me and didn't believe I could do it."

Richard went for it.
BBC

He continued: "When I put my arm in the air, that's probably because I realised my dream had come true, and that I'd done it.

"I had to catch the elites and squeezed to the front of them, I just kept going. If Usain Bolt had been there, I'd have gone for him."

Kenya's Amos Kipruto won the elite men's title in 2:04:39 in his debut on the course, and Ethiopia's 23-year-old Yalemzerf Yehualaw clocked 2:17:26 and became the youngest ever female winner of the London Marathon.

Still, Richard managed to finish in an impressive 3hrs 23mins, having trained for six years to qualify for the front pack of runners.

Having bagged a great time, won an old bet and put a smile on people's faces, Richard was over the moon.

Richard was on top of the world.
Richard Lee-Wright

"Today has been incredible," he said.

"I hadn't been feeling very well in the morning, but then the support and atmosphere was just amazing.

"When I got the messages from all my friends, I couldn't believe it, I was sat there laughing to myself.

"It created a lot of joy. Out of everything, that was really special to me, the fact it brought a smile to everyone's faces."

Mike Facey, a friend of Richard's, added: "He’s a top guy and always looking to make everyone and his family happy and he achieved a dream today. 

"We’ve had such a fun time watching all the highlights, hearing his hero Paula Radcliffe call him for 'paying for it', which made him chuckle."

Featured Image Credit: BBC/Richard Lee-Wright

Topics: Sport, Marathon, London, UK News

Jake Massey
Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

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@jakesmassey

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