Teen Accidentally Runs Entire Philly Marathon

At the midpoint in Sunday’s Philadelphia Marathon, runners come past the Art Museum, and if they are running the half, they turn right on Benjamin Franklin Parkway up towards the finish.

But in a race of any distance, especially a half marathon, it’s easy to become lost in your own world.

That’s what happened to a Lebanon County teen who was entered in the half marathon but wound up going the full distance.

The family of Evan Megoulas, who runs cross country for Palmrya High School in Pennsylvania, became nervous when he didn’t come across the finish line in his expected time range, his brother Peter shared in a Facebook post that quickly became popular.

Peter said he then got in touch with a Philadelphia Police Officer, Sergeant Phil McAlorum of the 9th District, who asked for a photo of Evan and immediately began searching for him.

Several cops found him in Manayunk as he continued along back toward West River Drive on the full marathon course.

Once the cops on bicycles found him, however, they discovered that not only was Evan okay, but he wanted to keep running.

So they rode with him the rest of the way. And when he finished, they posed for pictures with him after the race.

“With everything going on with Police in the media, I felt it absolutely necessary to write about what happened to my family and I today,” Peter added in the Facebook post. “I couldn’t be more proud of my brother for his accomplishment and I couldn’t be more proud of these fine officers for helping us out today.”

Evan finished the full marathon in a time of 5:23:11.

Image courtesy Peter Megoulas.