WATCH: Runners Go to Wrong Finish Line at Chinese Marathon

By Bridget O'Donnell

The 2017 Wuxi Marathon finished on a rather dramatic note this weekend after the third place runner was able to win the whole thing thanks to the two leading runners missing their turn in the final 100 meters of the race.

Footage of the race's final moments showed the three ahead the rest of the pack sprinting to the finish line. 

At first, two Ethiopian runners, Chala Lelisa Debele in yellow and Gardisa Birhanu Shumie in red, were leading.

But then came the crucial turn. Instead of taking a 90-degree left turn to finish the last 100 meters of the course, the runners continued going straight.

They should have turned left, where the arrow is pointing.

After a few seconds, course volunteers pointed out that the finish line was behind them, so they turned around.

But it was too late. In the race's final moments, Khalid Kamal Yaseen of Bahrain, who was intially in third place, was able win it all after Debele and Shumie lost precious seconds from the missed turn. He clocked in at 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Watch the dramatic finish below:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=g1314tfydmh&width=500&height=375&auto=0

According to messages circulating in a group chat for the race, the final turn was too narrow for a three minute-per-kilometer pace. The 42km course mark was also allegedly placed far outside the corridor, which some runners said was difficult to spot. Netizens, meanwhile, felt sorry for the two Ethiopian runners, who missed their shot at glory.

Organizers dismissed the criticism and said the course was up to standard.

To read a first hand account of the disastrous 2014 Beijing Marathon story, click "read more" below.