Leading athlete Adrian Mussett has spoken of the 'freak' sequence of events which left his London Marathon dream in tatters.

The Colchester Harrier was one of the favourites to win the Open class at Sunday's prestigious event - until illness forced him to retire after 18 miles.

Mussett, from West Mersea, got off to a flying start and was second in the British pack, on target for a time of two hours 15 minutes.

That would have put him on a level footing with women's elite star Paula Radcliffe.

But he began to feel dizzy after 16 miles and soon realised he would be unable to complete the gruelling 26.2-mile course.

Mussett, who turned 31 on Monday, told the Evening Gazette: "It was just a freak day and I was very, very disappointed.

"I'd been following an intense training schedule for 16 weeks but on the day I just felt so unwell.

"I was dizzy but hoped it might be possible to maintain the same pace.

"By the time I got to 18 miles, though, I knew I had to stop. It would have been dangerous to carry on."

Mussett - an international cross-country star - was one of Britain's leading hopes at the marathon and aiming to smash his personal best of two hours 22 minutes set at Dublin in the Autumn.

He had pushed himself through a rigorous winter training programme and finished fourth at the National Cross-Country Championships.

Mussett is now turning his attention to another marathon, either in America or Dublin.

And he is still determined to take part in next year's London showpiece, having finished inside the top 80 on his debut in 1999

Published Thursday, April 17, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette