Marathoner Achieves High-Water Mark
L O N D O N, April 20 -- Even though the London Marathon is now officially over, and all the runners have dashed, stumbled, or fallen across the finish line, it's still debatable as to who the big winner of this year's race really was.
Kalid Khannouchi, an American, by way of Morocco, would seem the obvious choice, having vanquished the field, while running the fastest marathon ever in two hours, five minutes, and 38 seconds.
But if accomplishment is measured not by speed, but instead by heart, his achievement pales when compared with Englishman, Lloyd Scott.
In a field of 32,875 runners, Scott finished in 32,875th place — or, to put it more succinctly, dead last — far behind one of the race's oldest participants, 90-year-old Jenny Wood Allen, who tore through the course in under 12 hours.
Is Englishman ‘Mad?’
But what seems a distinctly unimpressive display of athletic prowess, takes on a whole new perspective upon hearing that he ran the entire race encased in a 130-pound 1940s deep-sea diving suit.
The chairman of the marathon calls it lunacy.
I think it shows how mad the British are," said the chairman, David Bedford.
But Mr. Scott is not nuts. Or if he is, there's a method to his madness.
Designed to benefit Britain's Cancer and Leukemia in Childhood charity, the stunt raised nearly $150,000.
Despite wearing 22-pound lead-soled boots, a 40-pound copper helmet, and a 15 pound weight tied around his neck, Scott still managed to complete the grueling 26.2 mile race.
Starting Sunday, April 14, at 9:45 am, and clanking across the finish line Friday, April 19th, at about 6:15 pm, he set what London officials are calling the "world's slowest ever" marathon time — approximately five days, eight hours, and 30 minutes.
But still, his stunt begs the question: Why the diving suit?
"Somebody's going to be diagnosed with cancer and leukemia today, and will think, 'If this nutty guy can do the marathon in a diving suit, then there's hope for me too,'" Scott said, according to Independent Online of South Africa.
