USATF calls on World Athletics to determine half-marathon outcome

March 6, 2026

The messy finish to last weekend’s 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta is now in the hands of the World Athletics Council.

Five days after a race-day course error that sent three leading athletes off route in the final mile of last Sunday’s race, USA Track and Field (USATF) has formally asked the World Athletics Council to review the evidence and hold a vote on the outcome.

American distance runnerJess McClain was less than a mile away from winning her first U.S. half-marathon title, a US$20,000 prize and a spot on Team USA for the World Road Running Championships when the lead vehicle led her,Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat off course around the 12-mile mark.

According to the local organizing committee, the error began when a police officer stationed near the intersection was reportedly struck by a vehicle. The officers assigned to close the roads with marked traffic cones had instead left their posts to respond to the emergency, leaving the intersection open.

American distance runner Jess McClain was less than a mile away from winning her first U.S. half-marathon title, a US$20,000 prize and a spot on Team USA for the World Road Running Championships when the lead vehicle led her, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat off course around the 12-mile mark.

According to the local organizing committee, the error began when a police officer stationed near the intersection was reportedly struck by a vehicle. The officers assigned to close the roads with marked traffic cones had instead left their posts to respond to the emergency, leaving the intersection open. Running Magazine