Dennis Mbelenzi threw away victory in the first road running race of 2026 by taking the wrong course and getting lost.

Mbelenzi was a long way clear of the field in the Gosling’s Rum to Beach race on Sunday morning but followed the lead motorbike after the driver went the wrong way along South Shore.

The move resulted in Mbelenzi slipping from first position to 47th as he spent more than 15 minutes attempting to find his way back on to the correct route.

After the race, Mbelenzi was still in high spirits and refused to lay any blame at the door of the organisers.

“There are no regrets and I am not mad or sad as mistakes happen even in professional races,” Mbelenzi said.

“The bike guy is just a volunteer and made an honest mistake. He led me up the wrong way from Middle Road and took me the old way the race was run.

“I ended up spending 15 to 20 minutes on South Shore Road looking for the way to the finish. I eventually gave up and ran back down to Middle Road and only then was I able to find the correct way to the finish.”

Mbelenzi’s unscheduled tour of Warwick and the surrounding parishes left the road clear for Philip Woollins to claim victory in the 7.13 mile run in a time of 42min 54sec. Jonathan Ball came second in 43:37 with Will Ellison third in 45:28. Mbelenzi eventually crossed the line in 57:27.

There was less drama in the women’s race with Teresa Ruiz winning in 47:05, which was enough to finish eighth overall. Ruiz was 14 seconds clear of runner-up Stepanka Sprincova (47:19), with Rose-Anna Hoey third (49:16)