Fun runner aged 12 finishes a half marathon by mistake

A 12-year-old girl embarking on a fun run got a baptism of fire in distance running when she realised she was competing in a half marathon

LeeAdianez Rodriguez-Espada had signed up to run a 5km race in Rochester, New York, her second run at that distance since joining a local youth running club.

When she arrived at the Blue Cross Arena on Sunday morning and saw a crowd massed at the start line, she hurried to join them, believing she was late.

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"The man told me I could jump in with these group of runners," she told local news station FOX 19.

However, the group was participating in a half marathon, which set off 15 minutes before the 5km race left from the same spot.

Rodriguez-Espada began to suspect something was amiss halfway around the course and asked a fellow runner how long the race was.

"That's when it struck me that… I was in the half marathon instead of the 5k," she said.

Her mother, Brendalee Espada, was at the finish line and became worried when her daughter failed to appear alongside the other 5km runners. After waiting for an hour and a half, she notified race organisers, who contacted the police and embarked on a joint search for the girl.

Officials worked out what had happened and a police officer caught up with Rodriguez-Espada, who insisted she wanted to finish the race.

She was reunited with her mother two hours and 43 minutes after she left the start line.

"Two hours after I started looking for her, I see that one of the officers found her. And I see she has a medal," Espada told the Democrat and Chronicle. "I don't even know how she did it. I'm so proud of her."