Runner wins marathon after competitors ahead take wrong turn

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Much has been said about there being no one road to success.

But in the case of the Venice Marathon, there is only one route to the finish line — and a group of runners went the wrong way, reports the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

An Italian of Eritrean origin, Eyob Gebrehiwet, capitalized on this blunder and finished in 2:12:16, beating his personal best by over three minutes.

The lead pack of elite runners followed a motorcycle that took a wrong turn 25 kilometers into the race. This led them to be delayed despite having a one-minute lead.

Runner-up Muhammed Mussa followed two minutes after Gebrehiwet’s bizarre win.

This is only the Italian’s second marathon; his first was in Florence. Injuries had prevented him from joining the Venice race in 2015 and 2016.

#atletica
l’azzurro Eyob Faniel
conquista la #Venicemarathon
in 2h12:16#record personale migliorato
di oltre tre minuti pic.twitter.com/mXF47Uo2qx

— Atletica Italiana (@atleticaitalia) October 22, 2017

His coach Ruggero Pertile said they aim to make him qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games. He just has to make sure that Gebrehiwet is on the right track. JB

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