RAYNER Jack

General
HALF MARATHON DISQUALIFICATION
He was disqualified from the 2019 Australian Half Marathon Championships in Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia, after inadvertently taking a 40-metre short cut when a race official sent him the wrong way. He crossed the finish line first, but had already been told he was disqualified after 13 kilometres. "The guy on the bike said to me to follow him through and so I followed the bike, because he was one of the officials. I think we were meant to go straight but we went left, and he realised shortly after that it was the wrong way, but by then it was too late to turn back. At the 13 kilometre mark the referee got out of the car and told me I could be disqualified. I didn't know whether to stop or keep going but I didn't want to pull out. I kept going but I just didn't push myself as hard as I could have." (smh.com.au, 04 Aug 2019; sportingnews.com, 04 Aug 2019)

SUB-TWO HOUR MARATHON PACEMAKER
In 2019 he was part of the pacemaking team when Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge ran the first ever sub-two hour marathon in Vienna, Austria. However, the result did not count as an official record because it was not run under race conditions. "A truly unforgettable experience. What a privilege to be a part of the first ever sub-two hour marathon." (ineos159challenge.com, 20 Sep 2019; Instagram profile, 13 Oct 2019)