Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe made it to Wembley to watch the club's FA Cup semifinal on Sunday just hours after finishing the London Marathon.
Ratcliffe, 71, completed the iconic race -- which finishes outside Buckingham Palace -- in 4:30:42s before making the journey across town to watch the second half.
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The British billionaire bought 25% of United in a deal worth £1.03 billion ($1.3b) in December, while his INEOS group has an interest in a range of sports, including marathon running.
In 2019, INEOS supported runner Eliud Kipchoge as he broke the elusive two-hour marathon record, finishing with a time of 1:59:40s. The time was not officially recognised by World Athletics as a result of the use of pacemakers and the lack of open competition.
Ratcliffe was pleased with his time as he prepared to dash to Wembley.
"About four and a half hours, something like that. At my age that is not bad. I need to be quick, I need to be there at half-time," Ratcliffe told the BBC.
"There are some parallels I have to say, but it just requires some grit. Running a marathon after 30km is difficult. We're not there with football yet.
"One of the biggest problems with football is you get these new guys coming into the team, they're capable people but they're all on gardening leave. It's a big problem in football. The fans are impatient. It's a journey, they have to be patient. It's not a light switch. We will turn it around."
When he arrived, United looked to be heading for a comfortable victory, up 2-0 with a third goal to come.
However, Ratcliffe witnessed his side fall apart in the second half as Coventry fought back with three unanswered goals, including a penalty in injury time, as the game went to extra time.
United eventually won after a penalty shootout. They will face Manchester City in the final on May 25.
