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I don't get how the first person to complete 4 loops had the "choice" to decide which way to run the last one. Was he choosing for everyone? This doesn't make sense, because my understanding is runners can go ANY direction they want. If they have to reverse for the 5th loop, they have to reverse relative to their OWN race direction.

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For the first two loops, everyone runs clockwise. For the next two, counter clockwise. For the last lap, the leader picks a direction and anyone left alternates, so odds follow the leader, evens go the opposite way.

In this case, John picked CW, so Gary had to go CCW. Although per twitter, they had discussed it during the 4th lap and decided it mutually.

Thank you. I must have mis-remembered or mis-understood the documentary. Or perhaps the rules changed.

The first person to complete the 4 loops chooses which way he or she goes then the next person goes the opposite way that the first person went. It then follows an every other pattern where the 3rd finisher would follow the first and the 4th would follow the 2nd.

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