Testing the senses in Shanghai to find China's best antitourism and off-beat secrets. Dry and sometimes funny observations from a fixed gear roller, food eater and photograph taker.

Kebede crossed the line in an unimaginable 2h05 in today’s London Marathon.

Everybody knows, however, that the real race is within the costume categories. As the Metro reported: “The fastest runner dressed as an animal was Kevin Robins, coming home in three hours, 30 minutes and one second while dressed as tiger. The 33-year-old from Sevenoaks said he was racing against a lobster who was also going for the record, and had feared the lobster would overtake him right at the end.”

Here’s a shot from 2006, at the last corner. At the time we were shouting at him to get on with it and finish – only after taking 10 minutes to run the last 200 metres in Shanghai do I know what he was going through.

Heads turn as a cigarette powers down the home straight: