Nidaa Abbasi completed a 13-mile half marathon by mistake (Picture: SWNS)

A 14-year-old girl managed to complete a half marathon in Nottingham without even realising she had entered.

Nidaa Abbasi only found out she was not competing in the one-and-a-half mile fun run she had signed up for after spotting a sign that said she’d reached four miles.

‘The course of the mini marathon somehow mixed up with the half marathon course,’ said Nidaa.

‘I decided to carry on, it was OK. By the end I was getting tired and I walked a bit. It was fun. I prepared for the mini-marathon, not the half marathon.’


Along with a group of other school children she had entered the Robin Hood mini-marathon but her participation in the shorter distance was hampered after the car leading the run stalled.



This caused mass confusion and a number of children ended up being directed onto the longer course.

In the end the teenager completed the 13-mile distance in an impressive three hours, with a little help from her parents.

She added: ‘I got to finish with my mum and dad who were taking part in the half marathon so it was nice to have photos together.’