Athletics: Marathon leader takes wrong turn to lose race

Japanese runner Natsuki Terada had a forgettable start to 2011 after losing the final stage of the Tokyo-Hakone relay marathon by taking a wrong turn on the final stretch.

With less than 200 metres left in the race, Terada was leading the 10th and final stage of the two-day marathon before turning right instead of running straight ahead to the finish line.

Terada got back on track and finished the race to ensure his team Kokugakuin University finished in 10th place, the final position to gain automatic qualification for next year's event.

The famous race, known as the Hakone Ekiden, is a relay marathon competed between Japanese universities and run over 217km and two days of racing.

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