Jess McClain was cruising to her first U.S. Half Marathon Championships last weekend in Atlanta. The lead car driving down the course in front of her took a wrong turn with less than two miles remaining, sending her and the other top three runners off the course and costing them the benefits of a podium finish: fame, money and a spot on the team the United States would send to the World Championships.
McClain clearly ruled out Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat when the incident occurred, forcing all three to return to the course and finish in 9th, 12th and 13th place respectively. The runners filed a formal appeal and protest, which was summarily rejected. According to a statement provided to the Athletic by USA Track & Field:
(T)he course was not properly marked in the wrong direction. This violation contributed to the misinstruction being made by players who were ranked in the top four at the time of the misinstruction. However, the appellate jury found no means within the USATF rulebook to change the final result order. The order of completion of published results is considered final.
Racers have attended a technical meeting the day before and are considered responsible for knowing the course route themselves. This is a disappointing rule, considering that runners face the course with extreme effort, and the race leader is following the lead car. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect McClain, who’s racing just a few feet behind the lead car, to figure out in real time exactly where he went wrong here.
Fortunately, some restoration has occurred. “As race director, I take full responsibility for what occurred,” Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah said in a statement. “Athletes should not have to make split-second decisions about whether to follow the pace car or trust the official course.”
The incident occurred at the intersection of Ted Turner Drive and Nelson Road. From there, runners had to continue straight on Turner while the lead car turned left onto Nelson. That left turn was blocked early by traffic cones as part of race preparation. According to a lengthy, detailed yet vague statement from the Atlanta Track Club, about 13 minutes before the lead car and McClain arrived there, an unspecified incident occurred with a police officer a block away from the race course, causing a “cop down” report to be broadcast over Atlanta police radio frequencies.
In the rush to respond, someone removed the cones blocking the left turn into Nelson to allow emergency vehicles to pass and failed to reset them, leaving the intersection without cones. The police officer manning the intersection for the race mysteriously left to help the fallen officer and was replaced by a police officer who had no idea how to handle race traffic. According to a statement from the track club, a police motorcycle in front of the lead race vehicle turned left onto Nelson, and the driver of the lead vehicle, somewhat inexplicably, followed the motorcycle instead of continuing along the planned race course. McClain followed the lead vehicle. Hurley and Kurgat followed McClain.
The Atlanta Track Club announced that the three runners would be awarded prize money commensurate with the positions they held when the race was derailed, which is extremely generous. A follow-up USATF statement had more good news for McClain. She might end up making it to the World Championships. “The team will not be officially selected until May,” the statement said. “USATF will carefully review the events in Atlanta. We understand that athletes are eager to resolve this matter quickly, but our process will ensure that the ultimate decision is in the best interest of all athletes involved.”
