Last London Marathon finisher – running for cancer charity – crosses the line in over 8 hours
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Mr Tom Durnin finished the 2023 London Marathon in eight hours, 10 minutes and 58 seconds.
PHOTO: TCS LONDON MARATHON
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Sometimes, finishing last can just be as awe-inspiring as crossing the finish line first.
A video of the last runner at the 2023 London Marathon on Sunday has been seen more than five million times.
It was Mr Tom Durnin’s s grit and his reason for wanting to finish the race that drew praise. He was raising money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust charity, based in Leeds.
It was, as the race organisers described, “one of the greatest moments of every London marathon”.
Mr Durnin, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, finished the 42.195 km race in eight hours, 10 minutes and 58 seconds, about twice as long as it takes for an average marathon runner to finish the race.
By the time he crossed the finish line, he was reduced to a brisk walk. He was hunched so low that it looked like he would collapse. But he kept pushing. Remarkably, there was still a small crowd clapping and cheering him.
Organisers tweeted: “We’re in awe of your determination to finish what you started.”
But Mr Durnin was still faster than the runner who finished last in the 2022 edition in over 11 hours.
Mr Durnin’s video on London Marathon’s Twitter account has drawn admirations overall.
“We are so incredibly proud of Tom. His determination is second to none,” the Bone Cancer Research Trust tweeted.
“Braver man than most,” said Twitter user DLock168.
Another Twitter commenter, John R. Uppard, put Mr Durnin’s achievement this way: “He wasn’t last. He beat everyone who has never managed to run a marathon.”
Still, there were some haters.
One Kevin Kemp, who uses the handle @SquidgyOne, and says he volunteers as a race marshall, remarked: “The real heroes are the volunteers who have been standing around all day at the finish to wait for this guy who walked 26.2 miles in 9.5hrs. A cut-off time needs to be implemented.”
This provoked a response from Cally Peace, @callysmithx: “No, it doesn’t. Anyone who has the determination to do a marathon should absolutely be given the opportunity to finish it, no matter how long it takes.”
