Half-marathon runner runs full marathon after taking a wrong turn, but still ends up winning

Meredith Fitzmaurice with her winner’s medal

Meredith Fitzmaurice, a half-marathon runner, during a race at the weekend ended up running the full distance after missing the turn for the finish line. However, to her complete surprise, she still ended up as the winner of the race.

Fitzmaurice was competing in the half-marathon segment of the Run for Heroes Marathon in Amherstburg, Ontario and she was planning to use this race as a good warm-up for the Detroit Marathon in a month’s time. Through the Detroit race, Fitzmaurice was hoping to qualify for the famous Boston Marathon.

But somewhere along the course, she ended up missing a vital turn and the 21 km race soon became a 42 km one for runner.

“I just missed it,” Fitzmaurice told reporters. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said, adding that she was “in the zone” with her headphones on.

In an incredible sequence of events, Fitzmaurice, while still running, checked with the organizers if she could swap the full marathon with the half. The race director gave her the go-ahead for the midway swap and it turned out to be quite a good decision in the end as she ended up winning in a time of 3:11:48.

What made the win all the more special for Fitzmaurice, is that the time registered qualified her for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

Talk about the stars aligning!