Runner wins half-marathon but race officials did not believe him

Last Sunday, one Argentinian runner found himself in some finish line confusion at the 2024 Merida Half Marathon in Merida, Mexico.

Juan Esteban Pizarro had the half-marathon all wrapped up in the final kilometres, surging from third to first overall after the 17-kilometre mark. Little did he know, his glory was about to take an unexpected detour.

As Pizarro ran toward the finishing line, he was ready to break the tape and pose for the win, but a confused race official mistook him for a 10K finisher since the 10K and half marathon races were being run simultaneously. The officials holding the finishing tape hastily closed it, leaving Pizarro without his winning moment.

The officials quickly realized their mistake, but it was too late. They asked the Argentinian to make a U-turn and run back onto the course and through the gantry. Undeterred and probably fueled by the confusion, Pizarro, having just run 21.1 kilometres, walked back onto the course for his second effort at the line. This time, he walked his way in to break the tape.

Luckily, Pizarro had a four-minute lead over the second-place finisher, giving him plenty of time to fix the mix-up, break the tape and get the first-place finish line photo he rightfully deserved.

Despite the finish line confusion, Pizarro was still crowned champion and took home the top prize of $200.

posted Saturday January 13th
by Running Magazine