Three runners who were led off course in a race that served as a qualifier for the 2026 World Road Running Championships have been given entry into the upcoming competition.
Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat were leading the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta earlier this month when the guide vehicle took the trio off course. Molly Born, who had been more than a minute behind the leaders, came through to win the race, with Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels in second and third. McClain, Hurley and Kurgat finished in ninth, 12th and 13th respectively around two minutes behind Born.
As well as missing out on the first prize of $20,000, McClain, Hurley and Kurgat were deprived of the three qualifying places for the World Road Running Championships awarded to the top finishers in Atlanta.
However, on Wednesday USA Track & Field said World Athletics had given it permission to expand its team from four to seven, meaning McClain, Hurley and Kurgat will be able to compete at the championships in Copenhagen this September. Born, Ellwood and Rodenfels will also be part of the team along with a final athlete determined by the world rankings in May.
“From the moment this happened, our focus was on doing right by the athletes,” said USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel. “Jessica, Emma Grace, and Ednah had clearly separated themselves in the race and we are sorry they did not get to celebrate their accomplishment by breaking the tape. On behalf of everyone at USA Track & Field, I want to thank World Athletics. Their council and leadership are committed to a fair and athlete-centered solution that preserves the integrity of competition while recognizing the reality of what occurred in Atlanta.”
USATF says it will select four “scoring athletes” and three “non-scoring athletes” for the championships. The scoring athletes will compete as usual, while the non-scoring athletes “will wear a distinct team kit and may not form a pack with scoring athletes during competition”. USATF will fund prize money for the non-scoring athletes.
The events in Atlanta came after a freakish turn of events, including an injury to a police officer. Tim Hutchings, who was providing broadcast commentary on the race, said he understood how the athletes could have been unaware they were being led off course.
“When you’re in the heat of battle, you’re seeing red, you’ve got your head down, you’re laser-focused on the task at hand,” said Hutchings, who is a former long-distance runner. “You don’t necessarily listen to people yelling at you from behind. You don’t check if you’re still on course. You’re following a lead vehicle, and it looks like you’re on a good course. But that was not the case today for Jess McClain.”