People run in a marathon. Shutterstock
Organizers of the Edmonton Marathon acknowledged they failed to measure the course length correctly and added nearly 700 metres, after denying there was an issue.
More than 10,000 runners hit the pavement on Aug. 16 for the 35th annual event, which included full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1K fun runs.
However, some athletes questioned the distances of the full and half marathons—which they were using to qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon—prompting race director Tom Keogh to defend the measurement process and the route’s correct certification and setup on race day.
On Aug. 18, Keogh issued a second statement on the Edmonton Marathon website, saying he made his first comments with the best available information. Since then, with participants and elite athletes sending in messages, officials pursued a detailed review of the certified course’s physical measurement and found it was 674.7 metres longer than thought.
“That review has identified an error in how this year’s detour related course adjustments were calculated and for that we sincerely apologize,” Keogh wrote.
Some racers told the media that the mistake added 90 to 120 seconds to their final time, while amateurs may have gained an extra three to four minutes.
Construction around the Wellington Bridge added distance to the route, so organizers attempted to make up for it by adjusting the west-end turnaround. According to Keogh, that change only partially offset the detour.
Typically, the course crosses the Wellington Bridge on 102 Avenue. This year, construction detoured the route through the Glenora neighbourhood to avoid the bridge.
“The event owns this error, and we take full responsibility,” he stated, while thanking participants for emailing their concerns and for some follow-up conversations. “While we pursued the highest level of professional course measurement and certification available, an error occurred.”
Organizers did not take the issue lightly and understood that all participants arrived, having dedicated months of training, work, courage and long-term goals, Keogh continued. He also acknowledged that the finishing times of some of Canada’s best athletes “did not truly reflect their amazing performances.”
“The integrity of the course distance is fundamental and we acknowledge that we did not deliver the standard participants deserved,” he said.
“We recognize many participants ran qualifying times for future races, including Boston. We are working directly with Athletics Canada and other relevant partners to determine how this year’s results can be recognized.”
Keogh added that organizers will review future certification processes with their partners to ensure this error does not happen again.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Boston Marathon and Athletics Canada for comment but did not hear back by the deadline. On its website, the Boston Marathon says that all qualifying times are subject to review and verification.
