Marathon runner collapses in ‘really distressing’ sight

The men’s marathon became difficult to watch as the field was wiped out in scenes described by an Aussie great as “suicidal”.

Daniel Do Nascimento did not finish. Photo: Channel 7.

Thirty runners have failed to make it to the finish line as the men’s marathon created distressing scenes on Sunday.

Aussie Jack Rayner was among the first that had to quit after reports he suffered cramps just 500m into the race as a result of sweltering temperatures that reached as high as 31C and extreme humidity.

Distance-running legend Eliud Kipchoge cemented his status as one of the great icons of the Olympics movement by winning the gold medal, but it was chaos behind him.

Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento was the scariest withdrawal to watch as he collapsed on the side of the road.

On a day when 10 runners failed to make it past the 10km mark, Do Nascimento fell to the bitumen twice in the space of two minutes on the streets of Sapporo.

After initially falling a first time, he got back to his feet and continued at a good pace before falling into the gutter a minute later.

The live TV footage showed him curled up in distress, holding his midsection with a painful expression on his face.

Daniel Do Nascimento got back to his feet. Photo: Channel 7.

Medical staff quickly attended to him. Brazil is yet to confirm the exact nature of his condition, but he is reported to have suffered only major cramping.

He had been in the lead group of runners and was side by side with leader Kipchoge mid-way through the run.

“This is really distressing to watch,” Channel 7’s Bruce McAvaney said.

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“It is a war of attrition.”

Aussie athletics great Tamsyn Lewis described the pace being set in the extreme conditions as “suicidal”.

“Someone needs to tell him that’s enough for today,” she said of the Brazilian’s collapse.

“Unlike the women’s race they have really taken off at a tempo that is quite suicidal with these temperatures.

Daniel Do Nascimento did not finish. Photo: Channel 7.

“Because they are ridiculously tough. They strain their bodies to the extreme.”

Olympics officials had made a decision to move the race to Sapporo away from Tokyo clearly backfired with unseasonably hot and humid temperatures making for gruelling conditions.

Two early casualties of note were Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich, who was gold medallist at the 2012 London Games, and a world champion in Moscow a year later, and Ethiopian Shura Kitata Tola, winner of last year’s London Marathon in which Kipchoge finished eighth in just his second blip in his marathon-racing career.

Kipchoge was one of the very few runners who appeared comfortable in the conditions.

He broke clear of the lead runners with 10km to run and crossed the line in 2:08.38 to win back-to-back gold medals in the marathon.

Channel 7’s Bruce McAvaney said: “It’s Bolt. It’s hard to get your head around. He is a giant. He is the icon.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line to win the men's marathon.

“I’ve got to the point where he is the greatest.”

Athletics Australia gave an update on Rayner at the half-way point of the race with a post on Twitter.

“Jack felt cramping in both legs after 500m after an interrupted preparation for the Games, giving his all just to make the start line,” the tweet read.

AAP sports journalist Ed Jackson wrote on Twitter: “This looks brutal, inhuman almost. 11kms into a marathon and elite athletes are dropping like flies”.

The carnage continued all the way to the finish line.

Originally published as Marathon runner collapses in ‘really distressing’ sight