A runner leading the women at a marathon in Canada was met with celebration as she crossed the finish line – but not in the way she expected.
Rachel Hannah, a registered dietitian and marathon runner, was in the process of finishing the Ottawa Tamarack Marathon as the first female on May 25 when a group of fans invaded the course with pink powder cannons and confetti.
In the video, Hannah is seen out of breath and doing her best to muster all of her strength to run through the finish line.
As she gets closer, two men carrying flare guns run beside her and set them off, the plumes of pink smoke billowing into her eyes.
A third hooligan ran in front of Hannah and set off a confetti cannon.
Too tired to argue the unwanted interference, Hannah just kept running, keeping her eyes on the prize.
She posted about her victory on Instagram, handling the mishap with grace and celebrating her victory.
‘Everyone who stands on a marathon start line is there for a reason. We decide to register and commit to the rigorous training for months in preparation, hoping that we feel strong and confident come race day,’ she wrote.
‘I wanted to take part in Ottawa race weekend again because it’s such FUN weekend of racing.
‘One of the grade 3 students asked the marathon panel on Friday if we have any fear when standing on the start line. I explained that while fear is a normal emotion to have, I try to turn this into excitement for racing and remind myself the training I have done to prepare to reduce this feeling of fear.
‘It’s inevitable that as the body gets fatigued during the race the thoughts of not being able to finish can creep in when race day feels harder than expected.’
Although Hannah said her time in the Ottawa marathon was not her personal best, she is still proud that she finished (in first nonetheless).
‘This is what I experienced as I ran my slowest marathon time last Sunday. It is one of my proudest races though because I didn’t give up when I wanted to. My legs were fine and I knew I could keep going if I could convince my mind to ‘ she said.
She addressed the incident with the trespassers, acknowledging that while support from the crowd is motivating, it also has to be done in a safe manner.
‘Unexpected things can happen in such a long race on open roads. Crowd support and cheering makes a huge difference in motivation for us all.
‘But after encountering very enthusiastic cheering that caught me and many others off guard in the last km of the race; I ask on behalf of the race organizers, volunteers, fellow runners and other spectators that we cheer safely and off the course,’ she said.
While Hannah handled the situation like a champ, users on Reddit were fuming about the situation.
‘This is a failure of the people who manage the marathon,’ commented a user on the video.
‘Jesus, I’d be screaming at the officials afterwards. You are running on fumes at the end of 26 miles, especially on a road. Race officials should’ve had all non-racers off the track PERIOD,’ commented another.
‘Whose genius idea was it to blow confetti and smoke in the face of someone who just ran a whole f******g marathon like this is genuinely the dumbest f******g thing I’ve seen today and I work in fast food,’ chimed a third.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Hannah for comment.