US EditionWhat Went Wrong in the Women’s Competition at the Chaotic USATF Half Marathon Championship?
An officer down emergency caused lead women to be misdirected off course, with prize money adjusted for Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat.
- Atlanta Track Club released a review Tuesday accepting responsibility for the misdirection that affected the women's leaders and expressed regret that Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were not officially recognized.
- A police motorcycle officer was struck, prompting officers to leave intersections, and the lead vehicle driver followed a police motorcycle off course, believing the route had changed.
- The guide vehicle led Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat off course with just over a mile remaining, forcing them to run about 0.62 miles extra; by then, several competitors had passed, and they finished ninth, 12th, and 13th.
- Atlanta Track Club will award the $20,000 first-place prize to Jess McClain, while USATF denied the protest but will review the selection process before May.
- Who will be named to Team USA for Copenhagen remains uncertain, as USATF will review the incident and team selection until May, despite top finishers suggesting different athletes.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Championship race in Atlanta: Three runners are at the top, then an accompanying vehicle leads the trio on the wrong route. The organisers promise a financial refund, the World Cup qualification is suspended.
Jess McClain was on course to win the US Half Marathon Championship in Atlanta this weekend – but was shown the wrong way and fell back to ninth place in a heartbreaking accident. Now the organizer has decided to pay out prize money to the three runners who were affected.
What went wrong in the women’s competition at the chaotic USATF half marathon championship?
North Carolina runner Molly Born won the USA Track & Field (USATF) women’s half marathon championship by a slim margin of just over four seconds on Sunday in Atlanta – but the result is only half the story.
Prize money offered to misdirected US half-marathon runners
Three athletes who were led off course when leading the U.S. half-marathon championship will receive compensation after organisers said police assigned to mark out the route had to leave their positions to respond to an emergency call.
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