The runners had invested months of training to try to win the race – or at least achieve a personal best over its picturesque 10km course on the Dorset coast.
So, not surprisingly, there were moans, groans, a few very sore knees and the odd tear when a marshalling error meant hundreds of competitors taking part in the Bournemouth Bay race ended up doing an extra 3km.
Bournemouth council, which has been running the event for 33 years, has issued a grovelling apology and promised to find out how the error occurred.
It said: “This year saw new routes and overall the changes were well received. However, unfortunately there was some confusion with marshalling arrangements at one point which led to some of the fastest 10k runners going a longer distance.
“We apologise unreservedly to those front runners. In 33 years of running the Bournemouth Bay run this is the first time this has happened, and as part of our debrief we will be analysing the arrangements carefully in this area to learn for 2016.”
For the moment, what went wrong remains unclear.
Andy Isaac, one of the competitors, said: “The event was absolute mayhem. At one point an old woman managed to drive on to the route and was flashing her lights at oncoming runners.”
Kirsty Weston, a fellow runner, said: “I was really quite shocked by the route error, it’s inexcusable. You just expect more. The whole thing was shambolic.”
A marshal whose job it was to direct the runners is believed to have gone awol.
Spectator Steve Shuck said: “Whether the marshal got caught short, went home or got fed up, they weren’t there, so the runners went on past that point. Runners were angry, I knew a lot of people taking part. The air was pretty blue.”
The run was staged in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The charity also apologised but congratulated the 3,000 runners who took part in a total of four races – a half marathon, 5km, family run and the extra long 10km.
Competitor Trevor Finnis was more forgiving than most. He said: “I’m sure this won’t happen again and I’m just remembering that at the end of the day it was for a good cause.”
