Area Man Wins Marathon By Walking Backwards After Getting Lost

In what experts are calling "a triumph of determination over direction," local man Gerald Thompson accidentally won the Boston Marathon yesterday after taking a wrong turn and walking backwards for 26 miles.

Thompson, 34, was competing in his first marathon when he took a wrong turn around mile marker 5. Rather than stopping to ask for directions—a decision he now regrets—Thompson simply continued walking, albeit in reverse.

"I kept wondering why everyone was cheering and running past me," Thompson explained. "I just assumed I was doing something right. Maybe I was being really efficient? Like, walking backwards is basically twice the workout, right?"

Race officials initially tried to correct him, but Thompson outpaced all attempts at guidance. "We sent four different course marshals after him," said race director Linda Morrison. "He just kept going backwards and yelling at us about 'proper running form.' It was surreal."

Thompson's unconventional victory has sparked debate in the running community, with some arguing he should be disqualified and others insisting he simply found "an unorthodox route to success."

Thompson himself has taken his victory in stride. "I'm actually kind of relieved," he said. "Now I don't have to train anymore. I can just walk backwards to work every day."