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In a confusing but ultimately justified finish, Blake Benke of Westport was declared the winner of the Minute Man 10-kilometer run Sunday. Nadeem Ahmad of Westport, who crossed the finish line first, was credited with second. Cyclists leading the runners went off course, causing Benke and two other runners to run additional distance.
"I would have liked to have had the trophy, but the bike went down the wrong way,'' said Ahmad, who in a gesture of sportsmanship accepted second. "I've seen it happen before. It's not the fault of the race organizers. Sometimes these things happen."
Benke's winning time was listed at 36:27 followed by Ahmad in 36:28. Wantuil Sousa of Bridgeport took third in 36:36. Megan Peterson of Southport won the women's race in 39:22 followed by Amy Fredericks of Norwalk in 40:59. Cathy Galin of Fairfield was third in 41:38.
In the 5-kilometer run, Antaolie Vartosu of Stamford won in 17:03. Danbury's Antonio Loredo took second in 17:52 and Alex Otsberg of Darien, 13, was third in 18:08. Kate Lyons of Darien won the women's race in 19:24, followed by Norwalk's Marisa Edy (20:00) and Westport's Kristin Simonsen (20:34). Complete results are at superracesystems.com
The confusion in the 10K occurred in the fourth mile. Benke was among three runners following the cyclists, who veered off the marked course and down a dead end street. Tom Harding, who lives in the area and was in the group running with Benke, tried to get the cylists' attention that they had taken a wrong turn. Eventually, Harding convinced Benke that they were off course. Harding, who was keeping mile splits on his watch, said the runners who were misdirected lost between 45-60 seconds. Harding , who finished fourth, said their average per mile before the wrong turn was 5:49. The fifth mile took them 6:51. "I felt bad for him,'' said Harding, who felt Benke was the justified winner of the race.
Race results posted afterwards indicated Ahmad won the race. After consulting with Benke and Ahmad, Benke was declared the winner. "After we realized we made the wrong turn I was like 'Aagh,'' said Benke, who moved to Westport over the winter. "I know Ahmad waited up for me a little bit, so I think it was a good thing to do."
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