Andrew Davies ploughed through the heat to complete a memorable European marathon in a melting Munich.
The Stockport athlete, 42, crossed the line in 25th on the opening day of the European Athletics Championships after clocking a hard-fought time of 2:18:23.
The 26-mile contest represented both a team and individual event and alongside Mohamud Aadan, Philip Sesemann and Andrew Heyes, British runners finished seventh as Israel beat hosts Germany to gold.
The temperatures in the city were soaring and Davies admits those conditions significantly scuppered his progress.
He said: “Today was okay – early on I was feeling really comfortable, but it was warmer than I expected.
“The sun was beating down, we were out in the open and I needed a bit of shade.
“But we ploughed through – it was just a matter of getting to the finish line in one piece and doing as much as we could for the team.
“We knew it was going to be hot – I went off a little bit too quickly for what I was expecting and I found it hard to slow down because of the adrenaline.
“The heat played a big factor today and everyone will say the same.”
Davies finished eight minutes behind individual champion Richard Ringer, who stopped the clock in a season’s best 2:10:21 to romp to an impressive victory.
Israeli stars Maru Teferi and Gashau Ayale completed the podium at Munich’s iconic Odeonsplatz square.
Athletics is one of nine sports hosting their European Championships at this innovative multi-sport event, with cycling, gymnastics, rowing, triathlon, table tennis, canoe sprint, sport climbing and beach volleyball also featuring.
That expanded offering meant fans flocked to the Monday marathon and Davies admits he loved getting a slice of the action.
“The crowd were incredible,” he said.
“There was loads of Great Britain fans on the course, so it was great to have that support.”
The multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022, featuring Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Rowing, Sport Climbing, takes place 11th-21st August on the 50th anniversary of the Olympics Games in the German city. Watch daily live coverage across BBC One, Two, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
