Have you ever heard of a running marathon where 5,000 people start the race but only one finishes?  According to the BBC it happened recently in England.  The report says that, “Thousands of runners who took part in the Marathon of the North races have been told the course they followed was 264 meters short. Competitors … took a wrong turn in the Sunderland events because marshals were standing in the wrong positions. Only the winner of the full marathon completed the full distance. Only the lead athlete followed the correct route through the Sheepfold area near the Stadium of Light. Unfortunately, the second and third placed runners were not within line of sight of the leader and lead bikes and vehicle. This resulted in all those who followed taking an incorrect route through this section."  This story illustrates just how easy it is to get off course.