A 12-Year-Old Girl Accidentally Runs Half Marathon Instead Of 5K

LeeAdianez Rodríguez, a 12-year-old New York City sixth grader, ended up mistakenly running a half marathon instead of a 5k.

12-Year-Old Accidental Half-Marathoner

Rodríguez had decided to train for a 5k after realizing that she wanted to incorporate running into her activities. On race day, however, she accidentally joined those who were there to participate in the half marathon at the Rochester Regional Health Flower City Challenge.

“I knew after a while that I was in the half marathon,” Rodriguez told NBC New York. “And I was like, ‘I’m going finish this, I’m going to keep going.'”

At that point, Rodriguez was at about the four mile mark, roughly a mile more that the length of a 5k, and about nine miles short of the half marathon finish line.

“I don’t know how to explain it, it was like time froze,” Rodriguez said of how she completed the race. “I felt like I was on top of the world.”

While Rodriguez was running, however, her mother, Brendalee Espada, was concerned about her daughter’s whereabouts. Though a police officer and others told Rodriguez that her mother was looking for her, she insisted on finishing the race – and Espada isn’t mad about it.

“Everyone was amazed because wow she did it,” Espada told BuzzFeed. “It was a scary but rewarding moment.”