Miscue in Final Mile Costs Racer $50K

Marcel Hug collected $25,000 Monday as the first-place wheelchair finisher in the Boston Marathon. But as NBC Boston reports, he likely would have collected $75,000 if not for a hiccup in the final mile, one that ruined his chance to set the course record and earn a $50,000 bonus. The 35-year-old from Switzerland followed the lead vehicle while on Commonwealth Avenue instead of turning right onto Hereford Street. The AP notes that the mantra of "right onto Hereford, left onto Boylton" is a familiar one for locals when describing the race's final mile—it's even emblazoned on T-shirts.

“The car went straight and I followed the car,” said Hug afterward. “But it’s my fault. I should go right, but I followed the car.” Hug eventually corrected, but he figures the miscue cost him about 20 seconds. He finished in a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 11 seconds, which is just seven seconds off the best time ever. Hug should know: He set the record mark himself in 2017. “At the moment I’m really upset," he told reporters immediately after the race. "I hope in an hour, two hours, I’ll feel more happy." The day before the race, Hug competed in the Chicago Marathon, where he missed winning by all of one second. (More Boston Marathon stories.)