Elite female distance runners take off at the start of the Atlanta Half Marathon on March 1. Jess McClain, middle left, led much of the race before an official car led her off course.
Matthew Demarko/via Atlanta Track Club
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Matthew Demarko/via Atlanta Track Club
The USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta concluded with unexpected drama as a mix-up in the women’s race led to confusion and disappointment. Athletes and officials are now working to address the situation.
Molly Born, the official winner, remarked on Instagram, “I do not feel like the winner of the 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championships, because I know I should not actually be the winner.” Born was trailing when a group of leading runners was misdirected off the course by an official vehicle.
The Atlanta Track Club, which organized the race, reported that the leading trio — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat — could not be recognized as the top finishers due to the error. The official standings show McClain finishing ninth, Hurley twelfth, and Kurgat thirteenth.
Jean Knaack, CEO of the Road Runners Club of America, noted, “In a 20-year time period, I can maybe think of it happening once or twice in the U.S.” The Atlanta Track Club plans to compensate the misdirected runners, with McClain receiving $20,000 and Hurley and Kurgat sharing the combined second and third place prize money.
The error also complicates the selection for the U.S. team at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Denmark. Despite protests, USA Track & Field stated that the official results must stand due to a lack of recourse in their rulebook.
The Atlanta Track Club is committed to rectifying the situation. Phil Stewart, event director of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race, stated that the club “did everything they could to make the affected runners whole.”
The runners have appealed the outcome, but USA Track & Field emphasized that the team selection process will be reviewed in May, ensuring decisions are in the athletes’ best interests.
Born and Carrie Elwoody, who finished second, both expressed their unwillingness to take championship team spots, advocating for the original leaders to be recognized as champions. The selection rules could potentially allow Hurley a spot based on current rankings, but not McClain and Kurgat.
What happened in the race?
The confusion occurred near the finish line in downtown Atlanta when a police officer left their post following an accident involving a race motorcycle. The absence of cones at a crucial turn led the leading runners off course.
McClain recounted on Instagram, saying she followed the official vehicle as it veered off course for about 1,000 meters. “I had to come to a stop, make a tight & complete u-turn & run back onto course as a national championship title & a world team spot slipped away,” she said.
Born, unaware of the mishap, crossed the finish line first, adding to her U.S. marathon championship title. The incident highlights the rare but impactful nature of such errors in road racing, drawing comparisons to past events like the 1994 New York City Marathon.
As the affected athletes await the USATF review, Ednah Kurgat remains hopeful for a chance to compete at the World Road Running Championships. “Despite the disappointment, I’m still holding on to hope,” she shared on Instagram.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
