Runners to be given prize money after being led off course
📖 Full Retelling
Three athletes who were led off course when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after ultimately finishing well outside the top three.
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Original Source
Runners to be given prize money after being led off course By Ben Collins BBC Sport journalist Published 30 minutes ago Three athletes who were led off course when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after ultimately finishing well outside the top three. Organisers of the event in Atlanta said that police assigned to mark out the route had to respond to an emergency call, which led to confusion from the lead vehicle. Jess McClain, who was comfortably leading the women's race, was taken off the main course, along with her closest challengers Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley. The race was won by Molly Born, who had been more than a minute behind, while McClain finished ninth, with Hurley coming 12th and Kurgat in 13th. The Atlanta Track Club said on Tuesday it will award first-place prize money to McClain while Hurley and Kurgat will split the combined winnings for second and third place as they were shoulder-to-shoulder when they left the route. "We are responsible for the integrity of these championships," the club said in a statement. "We regret that Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were impacted by this incident and were unable to be recognised as the top three finishers reflective of their performance on the course." Organisers said race-assigned police personnel responded to an "officer down" call and replacement officers were unfamiliar with the race's "unusual route" over a footbridge not normally used by cars. The lead vehicle's driver then followed a police motorcycle, believing that the race was being rerouted. USA Track & Field had denied an appeal, despite acknowledging the course was inadequately marked. , external The race served as a qualifier for the World Road Running Championships in September but USATF has said that selection remains open. Related topics Athletics More on this story Leaders taken wrong way by guide vehicle in race Published 2 days ago 'I take training seriously but Ramadan is more importa...
Read full article at source