FURY: Lemoncello criticized crowd support in London before having to fly home in Economy Class
A "hugely disappointing weekend" is how Andrew Lemoncello has described last Sunday's marathon debut. Having described the atmosphere at the event as "like a bloody funeral", the Scot's bad luck seemed to continue as he was bumped from his Business Class reservation on his flight back to the States for "operational reasons". "I had to sit in economy with a bunch of no hopers" fumed the Fife man, "how can I be expected to train properly with that amount of leg room? It was absolutely awful- I refused to eat that rancid stuff they called food. It looked like vomit". It seems the mix up occurred after European flight operations continue to struggle to get back to normal after the volcanic ash cloud brought the continent to a standstill last week.
This was one setback too many for Lemoncello, who argued with airline representatives for over ninety minutes at Heathrow. After being told that he would have to sit in economy, the 2:13 marathoner walked away holding his head and was seen to shed a tear as he had to queue up "like everyone else" in the non-fast tracked security line. The Scot vowed that he would "never fly with American Airlines again" as he stropped towards his gate. "Did you see how long it took to clear passport control? And I didn't have access to the VIP lounge and so had to sit in a McDonald's. It was so degrading".
Things did not get much better for the Flagstaff based man when he viewed the official photographs from race day. Calling them "disappointing at best", Lemoncello bemoaned the fact that they made him "look like a fat jogger." "I deliberately chose yellow as it was slimming, they [the photographs] make me look 10-12 pounds heavier than I actually am," he told the Lufbra Echo. The Scot was also furious with allegations from a watching Brendan Foster that his white gloves were "a mistake". "I am one of the few guys who can pull that off," thundered the former steeplechaser, "how can that oaf say that. It's jealousy- pure and simple. He wants my complexion and my talent- I've got more talent in my little toe than Foster ever had."
Lemoncello's agent has now sent a communication out to all race organizers that his charge will only consider racing if Business Class travel is offered "as a minimum".