5K racers sent off-course, forced to dodge falling food
Teenage pranksters caused chaos when they re-routed a 5K and threw food at runners
Hundreds of runners in the EPIC (Exercising People in Communities) Norfolk 5K in Aylsham, U.K., faced unexpected chaos last weekend when a group of teenagers tampered with the course, sending participants on a detour and throwing food at them. The incident, which affected 416 runners, added an unplanned 250 metres to the course and caused significant confusion and safety concerns, DailyMailOnline reported.
Course sabotage
The mischief began when teenagers moved directional signs and placed unauthorized cones, diverting runners off the designated footpath onto unmonitored roads. This prank not only extended the race, but also forced participants to cross a road with active traffic, increasing the risk of accidents. The youths also positioned themselves on a bridge, to throw food at the runners passing underneath.
Steven Hitcham, the director of EPIC Norfolk, explained that the kids moved the 2K marker up a pathway and shifted arrows to make it look authentic. “They also put cones that weren’t ours across the official path,” Hitcham added. “I’ve heard they were throwing food from the footbridge as well. That’s not excusable.”
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Safety concerns and a longer course
Without marshals at the impromptu detour, the runners found themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. Although the lead cyclist quickly alerted Hitcham to the problem, it was too late to prevent the disruption. “A lot of cars had to stop to let runners through, which we obviously hadn’t anticipated or had any sort of management in place for,” Hitcham noted. “Luckily, in the end there wasn’t too much traffic about. But it’s more the fact that it could have led to something serious.”
The runners added an additional 200-250m to their total distance, and their race results will now be void. Local residents were surprised by the unexpected route change. “It was mad. All of a sudden, all these runners appeared,” said one resident who witnessed the diverted runners. “I knew about the race obviously but wasn’t expecting them to come past.”
Future precautions
Hitcham assured that additional measures, including a few extra volunteers, will be added next year to prevent a repeat of this chaos, dubbing the extended route the “Alternate EPIC 5K.”
A community police officer who participated in the race stated they would also be notifying Norfolk constabulary about the incident. Meanwhile, the 15-20 teenagers who were reportedly involved in the race-day disruption have not been identified.
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