they do run races in the wrong direction.

It should be noted that this is true only for Brits. Unlike choice of which side of the road to drive on, correct direction of races is dictated by purely natural forces, in this case the Coriolis Effect. This means that, while the Brits run their races in violation of this Law, the Ozzies and Kiwis are running theirs, although, to the untrained eye, in the same direction as the Brits, in the correct direction since the Coriolis Effect is reversed on the underside* of the world.

*http://www.bacchus-marsh.com/Files/Part 6.htm