ATLANTA (AP) — A runner who led the women’s race at the U.S. half-marathon championships until she was mistakenly taken off the course by a guide car has called on USATF to correct the outcome, costing her a spot at this fall’s world road running championships.
Jess McClain was leading Sunday with about 1.5 miles to go when she and three other runners took a wrong turn following a guiding vehicle.
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McLean posted on Instagram that she followed a police escort, the official lead car and media motorcycles about a kilometer off the track.
“I had to stop, make a sharp U-turn, and run back to the track as the national title and World Team spot were just gone,” she wrote. “I will do my best at the end of this weekend to remember the joy I felt in those moments when I thought I was on the verge of becoming a national champion and finally becoming a full-fledged member of Team USA.”
McClain, of Phoenix, finished ninth. The next two runners to follow her off the course — Emma Hurley of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Edna Kurgat of Roswell, Ga. — placed 12th and 13th, respectively.
Molly Born from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, crossed the finish line first in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 43 seconds.
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“Just because of the whole situation at the end, I didn’t really feel like I was the United States Champion,” Byrne said in an interview with YouTube’s Fast Girls channel.
McLean and three other runners following the lead car appealed after their protest over the finishing order was rejected. USATF said in a statement that the appeals jury found “that the event did not comply with USATF Rule 243 and that the course was not adequately marked at misleading points. This violation resulted in misleading actions by the top four athletes at the time of the misdirection. However, the appeals jury found no means in the USATF rulebook that could have altered the order of results. The posted finish order is considered final.”
The top three qualify for the World Championships on September 20 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The USATF noted that the U.S. team will not be officially selected until May and that the governing body will continue to review what happened in Atlanta.
“While we understand our athletes’ desire to resolve this matter quickly, our process will ensure the final decision is in the best interest of all athletes involved,” USATF said.
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USATF said the lead vehicle is provided and managed by the local organizing committee, the Atlanta Track Club.
“Mistakes happen and I’m sure those leading us feel terrible about the results,” McClain wrote. “I just hate that athletes always pay the price (literally $$$) time and time again.”
She said she believes USATF and Atlanta Track Club “can do something in some way to help those athletes who have been taken off the track… It sounds like conversations are still happening, so I choose to remain hopeful that we will soon have more clarity than the situation Atlanta left behind and actionable steps can be taken.”
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