The theme of Tuesday's Chattanooga Cross Country League meet at Greenway Farm was "The Road Less Traveled."
Thirteen of the league's top boys' runners took a wrong turn during the race and were wrongly told they were disqualified by an unnamed official. Two marshals who were supposed to be at that particular spot on the course - which was changed this year - were not at that particular spot, which caused the first wave of runners to go the wrong way.
McMinn County's Caleb Young, who was in a second wave of runners behind the lead pack, was the eventual winner, covering the course in 17 minutes, 47.14 seconds. GPS's Johanna Gartman won the girls' race - her fifth win of the year - in 19:54.41.
Gartman found herself amid confusion in the girls' race, taking a wrong turn as well.
Team titles went to McMinn County's boys and Cumberland County's girls. Young's win was the first of the year for the senior, but the story wasn't about those who finished but rather the ones who didn't.
Parents, fans and coaches looked for the runners, who at one point were lost in the woods. They later appeared, bewildered and confused as to what had happened.
"We were all on pace to set personal bests," Walker Valley's Seth Goudzward said.
The controversy had just started, though. A dispute then waged about how the top runners were going to be credited for the meet. Red Bank's Robert Bridges, who is second to Baylor's Simon Holden in the league Runner of the Year standings, needed a win Tuesday and another in the Front Runner City Championships next Thursday to be crowned winner.
It was suggested that the 13 disqualified runners compete in a race Saturday on the same course, but Walker Valley coach Jasen Parks, who also serves as a league official, vetoed the idea. He suggested that the Front Runner Championships count twice.
According to Parks, should Bridges win the Front Runner race, he would be crowned Runner of the Year since he needed two wins to defeat Holden, but Baylor coach Jan Gautier and Red Bank coach Hugh Enicks met with officials, later deciding that should Bridges win, the two runners will share Runner of the Year honors.
"We're going to do everything to make it right," Parks said.