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Bristol Half Marathon winner disqualified for running the wrong race

Since the 10K and half-marathon started at the same time and place, the runner went the wrong way after races diverged

The Bristol 10K took place on Sunday at the same time as the Bristol half-marathon. The man who ended up winning the half marathon was later disqualified for running the wrong race. Omar Ahmed, who had originally signed up to run the 10K, accidentally won the half-marathon in a personal best time of 63 minutes.

Since the 10K and half-marathon started at the same time and place, Ahmed went the wrong way after the races diverged from each other.

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The Great Run Company said in a press release, “Ahmed entered the 10K as an elite runner and not the half marathon. Therefore he was not officially part of the half marathon race and has to be disqualified.”

Normally, the Bristol 10K and half marathon are held months apart from each other but were staged together this year for the Great Bristol Run. Sunday’s start line featured 10,000 runners across both distances.

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It’s been a week of directional mishaps for British race organizers, as the Brighton Marathon miscalculated the length of their course by 586 metres last weekend.

Due to the disqualification, Chris Thompson, of Aldershot, U.K., was crowned the winner, finishing behind Ahmed in 67 minutes.

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