Ananova:

A runner dressed as a white rabbit caught 12,000 runners on the hop - by winning a half marathon in London.

But the man behind the mask in the London Royal Parks Foundation inaugural half-marathon wasn't a charity fun runner.

It was Kenyan middle distance ace John Muriithi who is also hoping for a gold medal at London 2012, reports The Sun.

The 21-year-old from Nyahururu, part of a 10-strong Kenyan dream team training group including Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru, donned the fancy dress for sponsor Nokia's Woodlands Creatures team.

A slightly bemused John was signed up for the event by his agent after winning the Reykjavik half-marathon in August.

He said: "I liked the cheering and the course and enjoyed being a rabbit."

An event spokesman said: "There were some good runners out there but the bunny caught them all on the hop."