Sri Lanka Navy athlete Sanath Bandara, popularly known as ‘Guiness Bandara’ for his unprecedented attempts at various Guinness records, has finished fifth at the Gold Coast 100km ultra marathon held in the Gold Coast, Australia on Sunday.
Bandara has returned a time of eight hours, 31minutes and 59.21 seconds to cover the energy sapping distance, after being among the first three during the first half of the race.
Bandara said that he was aiming for victory in his first 100km ultra marathon, but had to be content with place after struggling to overcome fatigue, during the latter part of the race.
“I was aiming for victory. For a better part of the race I was among the first three. I was in the runner-up position for about 50 kilo-metres. But I felt weak during the last 25km. That cost me a great deal,” said Bandara in a telephone interview with ‘The Island’.
Despite finishing fifth, the sailor received backing from Sri Lankan expatriates in Australia.
“I received support from the Sri Lankans here. They took pride in my appearance here. I am thankful to them,” said Bandara.
Known for his penchant for events that test endurance, Bandara made a couple of attempts to break the Guinness World record for the longest run on a treadmill, within 24 hours. Though he failed on both occasions, he took under his name a different Guinness World record later, when he wore a record number of T-shirts one over the other.
He took to ultra marathon racing some five years ago and made his first international appearance in a 100 miler in South Africa.
The 32-year-old was a victim of the Weliveriya bomb attack, which killed several up and coming marathoners, a host of athletics officials, the country’s former Olympic marathon runner K. A. Karunaratne and Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, in 2008.
