Olympian Andy Buchanan has broken the Australian marathon record with a scintillating performance in Spain.
Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
In the Valencia Marathon, the Victorian Buchanan posted a jaw-dropping time of 2:06:22, eclipsing the 2:07:31 mark set by two-time Olympian Brett Robinson in 2022.
The 33-year-old, born in Colac but raised in Bendigo, was initially selected as a reserve for the Paris Olympic Games but was a late call-up for the injured Robinson.
“I feel like I’ve really transformed as an athlete this year,” said Buchanan.
“I felt confident I could go around the 2:07:15 mark, and I kind of had this thought where the record would have been a bonus after such an awesome year, so if I go for it and blow up, I’d still look back on the year and be really happy with it.
“I still consider myself to be the guy from Bendigo that does a bit of running. It’s going to take me a while to process that I’m the Australian record holder.”
Buchanan’s time also fell under the qualification mark of 2:06:30 for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo at the back end of next year.
“At the last 10km, I was trying to do the math on the record, but I was so fatigued,” Buchanan added.
“I realised I had two minutes left to break the record at the 400m mark, so I made my goal 2:06:30 to try and get that World Championships qualifying standard and I did it.
“I’ve got so much confidence in myself.”
Buchanan, who is also a teacher at Bendigo South East College in addition to his running talents, finds his new feat hard to believe.
“The floodgates are definitely open,” the new record-holder said. “I will definitely enjoy this record for as long as I have it, but it’s going to take me a little bit to process it.”