A race where no one wins
The outcome of Sunday’s USATF Half Marathon Championships was nothing short of a nightmare for many participants. For 63 minutes of the 69-minute race, the event unfolded like any other national championship. Just before the 10K mark, Emma Grace Hurley, Ednah Kurgat, Carrie Ellwood, and Jess McClain distanced themselves from the rest of the competitors.
As they entered the ninth mile, Ellwood began to fall behind, leaving three runners in contention. Hurley and Kurgat took the lead, while McClain had to exert extra effort to maintain contact. However, when the real racing commenced around the 61-minute mark, McClain found another gear, quickly pulling ahead of Hurley and Kurgat.
Race Dynamics Unfolding
At the 64-minute mark, McClain seemed poised for victory when disaster struck: the lead vehicles mistakenly directed the group off course. McClain ran in the wrong direction for 80 seconds before realizing the error and turning back. All three runners appeared to notice the mistake simultaneously, but McClain had the most distance to cover. After a detour lasting approximately two minutes and 40 seconds, she rejoined the race, but the trio was now far behind the pack, with only a few minutes left to recover.
Ellwood, still in fourth place at that moment, also made the wrong turn but was fortunate enough to be informed by a motorcycle rider who told her she was off course. It understandably took some convincing for her to accept this information.
Molly Born, who had been running in fifth place, was the first woman to stay on the correct path, finishing the race in 1:09:43. The lead trio was so far ahead that she believed she was finishing fourth, while race organizers were prepared to hold up a finish tape for all top athletes, a common practice at certain races.
Unexpected Turn of Events
Ellwood managed to get back on track just in time to finish four seconds later, clocking in at 1:09:47. Annie Rodenfels, who mostly avoided the in-race chaos, crossed the finish line third in her half marathon debut with a time of 1:10:12.
McClain, who was on pace for a time in the 1:08 range before being misdirected, ultimately finished ninth with an official time of 1:11:27. Hurley and Kurgat followed closely behind, finishing 12th and 13th, respectively, with times of 1:11:38 and 1:11:50.
This incident is not the first time runners have been misled during a race, but the stakes were particularly high as this event served as the selection race for the 2026 USATF World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. It’s almost certain that McClain, Hurley, and Kurgat were on track to secure spots on the team, but USATF’s rules and selection criteria complicate the situation.
Final Moments of Tension
The athletes who were misled filed a protest shortly after the race, and the jury of appeals acknowledged that the course was inadequately marked at that critical point. However, they found “no recourse within the USATF rulebook to alter the results order of finish.” Thus, the results stand as final.
USATF’s statement further clarified, “The [World Championship] team is not officially selected until May. USATF will review the events from Atlanta carefully. While we understand athletes are eager to resolve this issue expeditiously, our process will ensure an ultimate decision is in the best interest of all the athletes involved.”
So, while Born is officially declared the winner, the question of who will actually represent the U.S. in Copenhagen remains unresolved. According to USATF’s selection criteria, the top three finishers make the team. If any athlete declines their spot, USATF will offer that position to the next highest placing individual, provided they finish in the top five, which none of McClain, Hurley, or Kurgat did. Each country can send four athletes, and remaining spots on the team will be awarded based on athletes’ world rankings as of May 5, 2026. Currently, Weini Kelati, Taylor Roe, and Hurley lead the rankings.
There exists a scenario where every U.S. woman could agree to decline their spots until McClain, Hurley, and Kurgat are included, but such cooperation would be challenging. McClain is currently ranked seventh, while Kurgat was unranked as of February 24. She has time to improve her ranking, but it remains uncertain whether it would be worth the effort.
Delving deeper into the selection criteria, there is a section under “International Disclaimer” that states, “…the selections are always subject to unforeseen, intervening circumstances, and realistically may not have accounted for every possible contingency.” However, this seems to pertain to cases where IOC and/or World Athletics rule changes impact the selection process. Moving forward, USATF may need a more general disclaimer.
This unfortunate situation affects not only the would-be top three but also the actual top three and everyone whose results were impacted. It diverts attention from the athletes’ performances. There has been discussion about the athletes’ responsibility to know the course, but it’s hard to imagine running an out-of-town race, having the lead vehicles turn left, and believing I knew the course better than the locals organizing the event. I commend the Atlanta Track Club for taking full responsibility in their statement. Those who navigated the course correctly did so because race officials directed them, not because they had superior knowledge of the route.
This error falls on the race officials who misled the runners, but I empathize with them as well. No one intended to ruin the women’s national championship race on that Sunday morning. Mistakes happen, and this one had significant consequences. The Atlanta Track Club has done much to support the elite side of the sport, but this one misstep has caused considerable damage. (Yes, I acknowledge that their marathon was short last year, which was unfortunate for those involved. However, I maintain that they have contributed positively, which often goes unnoticed compared to their mistakes.)
I suspect that USATF, despite the criticism it faces, also aims to do the right thing. However, neglecting their own rules could leave them vulnerable. I’m curious to see if the Atlanta Track Club will take steps to compensate for the prize money that McClain, Hurley, or Kurgat missed out on. Their statement hinted that this might be forthcoming. The prize money extended to the top ten, with $20,000 for first place, $12,000 for second, and $7,500 for third.
Throughout this ordeal, all athletes have handled the situation with grace. Born acknowledged the complexity of the circumstances in her post-race interview and even inquired about relinquishing her spot on the team. Rodenfels shared on her Instagram story that she finished sixth, even though the official results listed her as third. McClain’s post-race reflections were thoughtful, as were those of Hurley and Ellwood. Kurgat expressed hope that she, McClain, and Hurley would be named to the U.S. team.
I feel for McClain, who was on the verge of making the team by finishing in the top three for the first time. Hurley, who made the U.S. team last year only to find out that the 2025 World Championships would not occur, was also on track to make the team for the second consecutive year, only to see it slip away. Kurgat ran an impressive race in her first serious half marathon, but the results do not reflect her effort.
If nothing else, this is a race that will be remembered for a long time. Grace Hartman, who intended to make her half marathon debut, had to withdraw due to injury. (Race replay, from where things went wrong | Results | Hurley’s race on Strava, which shows the wrong turn)
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