Misled runners invited
Runners who were led off course by an official vehicle at an Atlanta half‑marathon qualifier will still receive invitations to the world championship — a move that nearly doubles the U.S. women’s half‑marathon contingent. Officials made the decision after the incident to preserve fairness for athletes affected by the error. (npr.org)
The three athletes who were misdirected were identified as Jess (Jessica) McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat; they are listed in the official results as finishing ninth, 12th and 13th respectively after the detour. (ajc.com) Race organizers traced the error to a medical emergency—an on-duty Fulton County deputy was struck near the course—which led a pace vehicle to leave the marked route around Mile 11, a sequence the Atlanta Track Club said it accepts responsibility for in its post-race review. (atlantatrackclub.org) The affected athletes filed a protest and an appeal; USATF’s jury of appeals acknowledged the event “did not meet USATF Rule 243” and that the course was “not adequately marked” at the point of misdirection, but concluded there was no rule-based mechanism to change the official order of finish. (usatf.org) Atlanta Track Club offered to match the championship prize money for the three runners—announcing Jess McClain would receive the first-place purse and Hurley and Kurgat would split the combined second- and third-place amounts—while reiterating it will complete a full review to prevent recurrence. (wsbtv.com) World Athletics agreed to a strictly one‑off, “exceptional” arrangement that permits USATF to name seven women instead of four for the half marathon in Copenhagen; the three additional athletes will be entered as non‑scoring competitors (ineligible for medals or prize money but eligible for world‑ranking points) and will wear different national kit from the four scoring athletes. (worldathletics.org) USATF said the expanded U.S. selection will include the three misdirected runners plus the official top-three finishers from Atlanta—Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels—with one final spot to be filled from world rankings on May 5 after USATF CEO Max Siegel submitted an emergency request to World Athletics. ( )
