The occasion marked him living out a dream that he was on course to qualify for a first world championships.

Harris had to be among the top three Australians to run under two hours and 19 minutes in what he deemed his last chance for 2017. 

He shaved almost two minutes off the mark that brought out the emotions on entering Ojiyama Stadium, near Kyoto in Japan.

A clearly delighted Harris soon tweeted: “2:17.08, World Champs Qualifier, 3 min PB, worst week of my life leading in. Can't believe it. Cried the last 400m!”

The 26-year-old faced a “couple of personal issues” in addition to hamstring troubles days out from the race.

“Mentally, things were adding up on top of each other, but I was able to focus when I got out there on race day,” Harris said.

“Not thinking about the race so much might’ve even been a blessing in disguise.

“I felt good out there and when I got into the track for the final lap, I knew I was on pace to run well under the qualifying time.

“So it was just a kind of a victory lap, I guess, knowing that in the next 400 metres I am most likely going to be on the team for world champs, which has pretty much been my life goal.

“I’ve worked hard for countless years to try and do that, but didn’t know I could and that last 400m was really emotional when it hit me that I realised that goal.”

The road athlete admitted he had never poured out his emotions onto a track like he did on Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve been able to do some pretty good things with my running, but I have never felt like that in the last 400m of any race,” Harris said.

“It probably is the most emotional that things have ever been in a running race.”

Harris had fallen a couple minutes short on the other side of qualification for the 2016 Olympics at the end of the Rotterdam Marathon.

The schoolteacher felt he was quick to learn lessons less than 12 months on.

“That was pretty early into my journey in marathoner, so it was a little bit of a dream more than anything,” he said.

“I just wanted to try and make this world champs and, even still, that was a bit of a dream as well.

“I would’ve been happy to make a world champs in two years or even four years.

“But, I am not there yet – I haven’t been selected, but I’m probably in the box seat to be able to go, incredibly.”

He will wait three months to be confirmed as one of three Australians heading to the world championships at London from August 5-13.

At this stage, he has run the third fastest time, but believes the 2018 Commonwealth Games has blurred the lines for qualification. 

“Our best two marathoners are probably going to forego worlds to get a Commonwealth Games qualifier elsewhere,” Harris said.

“I’m currently ranked third-fastest, but I’m ranked first of the guys who have intentions of going.

“So there will need to be three people to have run quicker than I have over the next few months – I’d say that’s unlikely.”