Spanish runner goes viral for strange stunt at half-marathon
Instead of crossing the finish line, Luis Agustín Escriche stopped to make sure he didn't break the course record by too much
On Sunday, at the end of the Alcúdia Half Marathon in Valencia, Spain, a runner went viral for all the wrong reasons after refusing to break the tape and finish his half-marathon.
Luis Agustín Escriche reached the finish line well below the course record time, but according to Spanish media, he did not want to lower the course record by too much, so he would be able to beat his time again next year.
Una de las imágenes curiosas del fin de semana:
?? Luis Agustín Escriche se para antes de cruzar la meta de la Media Maratón de Alcudia para no batir el récord de la prueba por mucho tiempo
ℹ️ El premio extra son 150€ y quiere volver a batirlo en 2023 pic.twitter.com/7ArDWyJmpI
— José Manuel Amorós (@AmorosCuatro) October 3, 2022
As Escriche approached the finish line, he looked at his watch and stopped, provoking the surprise of the race announcer, who said aloud (in Spanish): “Will he cross the finish line? We don’t know exactly why he doesn’t cross the finish line, but here is your champion.”
Nearly 30 seconds passed from the moment the athlete arrived at the finish, before finally deciding to break the ribbon, securing a victory in which he had no competition.
Escriche stopped the clock at 68:45, taking 35 seconds off the previous record of 69:20, earning himself 150 euros.
The runner better hope this stunt doesn’t come back to haunt him, as now the race has tons of publicity, and he will have to maintain his fitness to beat his previous time in 2023.