Australian long-distance runner Liam Adams has poured his heart out after finishing a “shattering” 49th in the marathon on Saturday.
The 37-year-old, who is known as the “running sparky” because of his work as an electrician, revealed he spent $13,000 in his preparation for the Olympics and was forced to take unpaid leave.
He finished 24th in Tokyo and was determined to go even better in Paris.
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But the brutal course that featured a tough climb and descent got the better of the courageous Aussie.
He ended up placing 49th in a time of 2:13:33, which was third from the three Australians in contention.
Pat Tiernan hung tough and was the first across the line in 2:10:34, finishing 24th, while Andrew Buchanan — a late replacement for injured Australian record holder Brett Robinson — was 45th in 2:12:58.
Speaking to Nine after the race, Adams was devastated.
“Not too great. I got to the top of the hill and wanted to bomb it down the hill and I couldn’t really. I just struggled the last 10kms,” he said.
“I took some time off work, maxed out my annual leave, took some unpaid leave and spent $13,000 in that prep and to have a shocker like that is pretty disappointing.
“When you put on the Australian singlet, you want to give it your best shot and have the best race you possibly can and I didn’t feel like I did. It’s shattering.”
Adams nearly didn’t get to run in Paris at all after weeks of uncertainty leading into the Games.
He initially finished the qualification period among the top-80 based on his fastest time during the qualifying period, but the addition of several universality places pushed the Victorian out of the quota numbers.
However, he was granted his third Olympics spot, which will likely be his last on the big stage.
Meanwhile, Tiernan says he finally has an Olympic performance that reflects his ability.
Until now, Tiernan had been best known for collapsing on the track due to heat exhaustion in the final lap of the 10,000m at the Tokyo Games, before eventually staggering across the line in 19th place.
The Paris marathon was an altogether more pleasant experience.
“I’m really happy with how I ran,” said the 29-year-old.
“I feel I was definitely fit enough, my legs probably weren’t quite as conditioned as I would have liked.
“ … But overall I think I negatively split it and I had a good day out there.
“Having this after Tokyo is such a big deal – I think this is a much better reflection of what I can do on the international stage.
“After a few more of these (marathons), I’ll be able to compete enough to go with the lead pack early on and hopefully be competing for a higher spot next time around.”
Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia has raced away to a commanding victory in the Olympic men’s marathon on a hot morning in Paris.
Tola clocked a winning time of two hours six minutes and 26 seconds on a brutally tough and scenic course that went past many of the most famous landmarks in the French capital.
He lopped six seconds off the Olympic record set by Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya in Beijing 16 years ago.
Belgium’s Bashir Abdi claimed the silver medal on Saturday in 2:06:47 and Kenyan Benson Kipruto was third in 2:07:00.
– With AAP