Big Ben Literally Stopped By The Clock At London Marathon Finish

The timing was off.

A runner dressed as Big Ben in Sunday’s London Marathon struck an overhead digital clock set up at the finish and was aided across the line, according to reports.

Lukas Bates of Maidstone, England, can be seen ducking under the arch at the finish line with help from a volunteer.

Bates completed the 26.2 miles in 3 hours 54 minutes and 21 seconds, well behind the marathon costume record of 3 hours, 34 minutes and 34 seconds. Yes, there is such a mark, and the 30-year-old Bates was attempting to break it, the BBC noted.

“The irony of Big Ben being stopped by the clock,” one Instagram commenter wrote.

Bates said his personal best in the marathon without a costume is 2:59.

But even as a slower-running clock tower, he still had a good time raising money for dementia and Alzheimer’s research. The U.K. Alzheimer’s Society wrote in a release Monday that he had raised more than 5,000 pounds (around $6,500).