ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Unknown Runner Eyob Faniel Wins Venice Marathon After Favourite Taken Wrong Way By Guide Motorcycle

Unknown Runner Eyob Faniel Wins Venice Marathon After Favourite Taken Wrong Way By Guide Motorcycle

The blunder paved the way for previously unknown runner Eyob Faniel to become the first Italian to win the race in 22 years.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

The Venice Marathon took an unexpected turn after the favourites to win the race ended up going the wrong way when following a motorcycle guide.

The blunder paved the way for previously unknown runner Eyob Faniel to become the first Italian to win the race in 22 years.

Favourites Abdulahl Dawud, Gilbert Kipleting Chumba, Kipkemei Mutai and David Kiprono Metto were among the leading group 25 kilometres (16 miles) into the race when the motorcycle guiding the runners strayed off the course and went the wrong way.

The runners covered several hundred metres before realising the error and turning back. They lost about two minutes.





Faniel, who runs for the local Venice marathon club, was around a minute behind the leaders at the time but the wrong turn gave him the opportunity to catch up.

Faniel finished in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 16 seconds, beating Mussa by almost two minutes. Tariq Bamaarouf was third.

Back in 2013, an organisational error at the Marathon Of The North meant that 5,000 runners were sent the wrong way and didn't complete the course.

Marathon Of The North
Marathon Of The North

Credit: PA Images

Five-thousand runners were told they fell short of completing the marathon by just 264m because of the blunder.

The marshalling error at the race in Sunderland meant that a huge portion of the runners were accidentally sent the wrong way. Only one runner successfully completed the marathon.

Event organisers told the Sunderland Echo: "Regrettably, due to incorrect placing of marshals, which we take full responsibility for, only the lead athlete followed the correct route through the Sheepfold area near the Stadium of Light.

"Unfortunately, the second and third-placed runners were not within line of sight of the leader and lead bikes/vehicle.

"This resulted in all those who followed taking an incorrect route through this section.

"Our course measures has now confirmed that 264 metres were therefore lost from the measured route.

"We are sincerely sorry for any confusion and frustration that this has caused."

Source: The Daily Mail, The Guardian, ITV News

Featured Image Credit: ZZVNR

Topics: SPORT, World News