Here’s a perfect example of one of those stories that sucks so bad it’s kind of funny. I’ve heard of people losing the lead in a marathon for a lot of reasons: running out of steam, falling down, becoming ill, disqualification, and many others. Never in my life have I come across a runner who lost a race because he took a wrong turn. Aren’t these things usually pretty well mapped out? Apparently not in Japan, and Matsuki Terada paid the price. Check out the Matsuki Terada marathon fail video, courtesy of Ted Williams Head:
To make matters worse, Terada took the wrong turn a mere 200 meters from the finish line, so there’s a tremendous chance he would have won the race. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’ll never make that mistake again — assuming he isn’t too pissed off to never run another marathon.
