PAIN.

That is what champion Carcoar wheelchair racing ace Kurt Fearnley knows he must embrace if he is to win marathon gold at this year’s Rio Paralympic Games.

In yesterday’s London Marathon Fearnley was beaten out in sprint finish by Marcel Hug, the Swiss ace breaking the tape one second ahead of the CSU graduate.

It was the second time in six days Hug had posted a win over the gruelling 42.2 kilometre distance, having beaten home South African Ernst Van Dyk and Fearnley in another tight finish in the Boston Marathon last week.

Though Fearnley was desperately close to snaring his third London Marathon crown, having previously won in 2009 and 2013, the results also highlight just how tough it will be to win gold in Rio.

There was just five seconds separating the top five in London with Hug and Fearnley followed home by six-time London Marathon winner David Weir, Van Dyk and American James Senbeta.

“It’s not even one per cent, it’s a tiny little bit of difference between Marcel now and everyone else,” Fearnley said after his second placing.

“You don’t train to win a marathon by a mile, you train to be that person in the last metre.

“I’ve just got to get through a lot more discomfort so I can get a little bit faster at the end. There’s a lot of uncomfortable hours to come between now and Rio.

“If I don’t win another race all year but I finish first in Rio, then the year will have been a major success.”

With a quality field assembled for the London Marathon, the leading pack marked each other for the entire race. The group contained the men who made up the final top five as well as Japan’s Hiroki Nishida and American Aaron Pike.

After being forced to withdraw from last year’s London Marathon at the halfway point due to a puncture, Hug was determined to make amends.

On numerous occasions he surged to try and break his rivals, but Fearnley and Weir ensured he did not pull clear.

As they turned into The Mall the scene was set for a sprint finish and it was Hug – the man nicknamed the ‘silver bullet’ – who won in a time of one hour, 35 minutes and 19 seconds.

In doing so Hug (50 points) increased his lead in the new World Marathon Majors wheelchair series, but Fearnley (25 points) moved into second overall as he added a runner-up finish to his third placing in Boston. The victor of the series will claim a US$50,000 prize.

“It’s crazy so soon after Boston, but it feels great,” Hug said. 

“It wasn’t an easy victory and there was a tough sprint. I knew I had to make sure I had a good position. I tried to get away from Fearnley and Weir, but they stayed with me. I’m really happy.”

Though disappointed not to win, 35-year-old Fearnley will use that as motivation as the Rio Games in September draw closer.

“In a Paralympic year it’s a bit of a kick in the bum to know we’ve got to lift that little bit further,” Fearnley said.

“But I’m right there. I just need that last little bit of top-end speed. The strength is great. I just need that last little kick.”