Bermuda International Marathon Ends In Tie

Submitted by Bricks :: Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:42 am

Bermuda's International Race Weekend ended on a bizarre note on Sunday with an official tie in the marathon. Moroccan Al Afoui Boubker and Kenyan Simon Sawe ran shoulder to shoulder for 26 miles before beginning a final sprint to the finish. When Sawe stumbled over a race official who had strayed onto the course and was forced to swerve around a sign, Boubker seized the moment and beat him to the line by an arm's length. But when Sawe lodged an official protest due to his obstruction, officials decided to call the race a tie.

Both runners finished in a time of 2:23:31, and both will receive trophys and first place prize money. Race Weekend committee chairwoman Judy Simmons was concerned about the precedent this might set, saying "I think we had to be careful with the ruling not to muddy Bermuda's name in the athletics community and I think we have done that."