The men's marathon had an unofficial entrant join the race at this year's Commonwealth Games after a member of the public tried to go stride-for-stride against some of the world's best runners.
Birmingham opened its streets to the elite on Saturday when Victor Kiplangat secured Uganda's first Commonwealth gold in the marathon. The feat was all the more impressive given he briefly went the wrong way, only to beat the competition by 94 seconds anyway.
A total of 18 finished the men's marathon, and there was no real danger of that number growing by one despite the rogue runner. That's if the anonymous 'athlete' was in fact straining as much as he appeared just to keep pace during his five seconds of fame.
Decked out in very casual running attire, the bespectacled race-crasher seemed as though he was at full tilt on the pavement. Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu, meanwhile, looked like he had a few more gears left in his locker as he attempted to hunt down Kimplangat.
It's unknown how long the spectator managed to keep up with the talent before finally giving up. However, eagle-eyed viewers on social media didn't hold out much hope for his chances against such esteemed opposition.
"Probably only ran 100 metres to see if he could keep up," tweeted one spectator. When another user wondered "how well he did," one reply suggested that: "Judging by that three-second clip…..not very well."
Who do you think will top the 2022 Commonwealth Games medal table? Let us know in the comments section.
It's not uncommon for marathon runners to spot members of the public attempting to match their pace, though rarely with much success. And there's little to suggest Saturday's attempt had a more positive outcome for the amateur.
Kiplangat's historic Commonwealth gold was just the cherry on the cake of an African hat-trick in Saturday's marathon. Tanzania's Simbu was a relatively distant second to the Ugandan, while Kenya's Michael Mugo Githae took the bronze in Birmingham.
Australia's Jessica Stenson stood between Africa making it a pair of clean sweeps after she clinched the top prize in the women's race. She crossed the finish line 29 seconds ahead of Kenyan Margaret Wangari Muriuki, while Namibia's Helalia Johannes completed the podium in third.
