It's fair to say things were not supposed to go this way at the Venice Marathon.
It would've been little surprise if Kenya's Gilbert Kipleting Chumba had won the race Sunday — or maybe it could have been his countryman David Kiprono Metto. And, in fact, both of those favorites were among the leaders roughly 16 miles into the marathon.
Then, they took a wrong turn.
Led astray by a guide motorcycle, the small pack of runners leading the marathon followed the errant rider several hundred meters off course and apparently onto a main thoroughfare. A video captured the crucial, crushing moment the runners learned of the error and turned back.
Delayed by about 2 minutes, according to The Associated Press , the favorites ultimately lost out to Eyob Ghebrehiwet Faniel , a local who was reportedly running in only his second marathon. Faniel, who has been referred to by both surnames, runs for the Venice Marathon Club. The Eritrean-born Italian made his official marathon debut in Florence last year, as noted by the International Association of Athletics Federations .
Now, he is the first Italian man to win the Venice Marathon in 22 years.
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