James Cracknell reveals he is a 'broken man' as former Olympian recovers after ... trends now
James Cracknell says he is 'a broken man' after completing the 26-mile London Marathon in less than four hours on Sunday.
The former Olympic rower, 51, was among more than 53,000 participants as the annual event got underway in Blackheath, but later admitted the run left him drained before he reached the halfway point.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: 'Sorry for not posting anything yesterday. Truth is I was a broken man.
'Before the start I managed to find a quiet oasis, for that final nervous movement!
'I made it round, I hadn't run for a month (foot injury). I went of at 3hr pace and hit halfway at 1:29:45. Then the wheels started to come off my wagon. I had to fight for every mile.'
James Cracknell says he is 'a broken man' after completing the 26-mile London Marathon in less than four hours on Sunday
He added: 'I did 3hr22min, my best is 2hr42min, but I am genuinely prouder of getting through yesterday.
'If it hadn't been for the amazing crowds, the charities I was fundraising for and my family at the end I might have stepped off.'
Cracknell also paid tribute to fellow participant Russell Cook, dubbed Britain's 'hardest geezer' for running the length of Africa, from South Africa's Cape Agulhas to Tunisia's Ras Angela, in 352 days.
He wrote: 'Thank you to everyone who donated it will make a huge difference. This morning I am more in awe of Russ aka @hardestgeezer for running the length of Africa.
'I did 26mls yesterday and I couldn't run today if my life depended on it.'
A record number of people ran in the London Marathon on Sunday, including politicians, actors in character and amateurs in costume.
More than 50,000 people ran the
