Amateur runner Richard Lee-Wright led the London Marathon over the weekend, and strode far in front of all the professional athletes to delight of watching TV viewers around the UK.
It may not have lasted long, but Lee-Wright certainly got his moment of fame, punching the air as he led the world's best athletes.
Speaking to Metro about his viral endeavor at the weekend, the runner explained the inspiration behind the moment that captured the imagination was to get one over his mates.
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"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 realised my dream had come true, and that I’d done it."
"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."
Lee-Wright's friend, Lee Hopper, ran with him last week. He backed up Lee-Wright's statement on Twitter, saying it was all pre-planned.
"He told us he was going to sprint off and lead the London Marathon for a few hundred metres. I thought he was taking the p*** but he did it."
Three-time winner of the event Paula Radcliffe spotted him on the BBC's coverage, warning: ‘That guy is going to be paying for it.’
But he finished with a very impressive time of three hours and 23 minutes. That's four minutes and 48 seconds per kilometre.
Despite bolting out in front of the pros, he was some way behind first place finisher Amos Kipruto, who secured a time of two hours and four minutes.
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