Edmonton Marathon screw-up might cost athletes a spot in Boston Marathon
The Edmonton Marathon has continued to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
After outcry from the athletes who ran in last weekend’s marathon, organizers confirmed that the course for the race had been mismeasured. The mistake caused marathoners to run roughly an additional 1.2 kilometres longer than the typical 42.2 kilometres, thus causing all sorts of havoc for running times.
The admission came after a marathon organizer initially pushed back against claims of course mismeasurement, initially blaming issues with runner GPS systems.
The mistake could cost some marathoners more than just an inaccurate time in the Edmonton event.
Many athletes use the Edmonton Marathon as a way to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With race times compromised due to the extra distance, Boston Marathon organizers have confirmed with Daily Hive that they will not be accepting any adjusted times.
“The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) relies on marathon events and race organizers to uphold the integrity of their official results, certified course, and distance,” a statement from organizers read.
“The B.A.A. cannot accept adjusted results if the distance was over or under [42.2 kilometres], or adjust results if participants went off course. This has been our longstanding policy.”
This could wind up being a major blow to athletes who could see their Edmonton Marathon times come in four to six minutes longer than expected because of the mismeasurement. That may not seem like a lot, but it could make all the difference in qualifying for a prestigious race such as the Boston Marathon.
For Canadian Olympic marathoner Rory Linkletter, who won the men’s section of the Edmonton half-marathon, it’s a disappointing but expected outcome.
“It’s a bummer, but I understand it from Boston’s perspective,” Linkletter told Daily Hive on Thursday. “Could open a floodgate for other circumstances like this. They can’t make exceptions.”
In a statement on Tuesday night, Tom Keogh, the race director of the Edmonton Marathon, mentioned that the event would attempt to see how to get race results to be recognized, and even acknowledged those who had hoped to use this event to get into the Boston Marathon.
It doesn’t seem they will have luck getting the proper adjusted times accepted.
“The integrity of the course distance is fundamental, and we acknowledge that we did not deliver the standard participants deserved,” Keogh 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.”
The Boston Marathon is one of the most prestigious and well-known marathons in the world. It holds the record for being the oldest annual marathon, with its first race being held 129 years ago in 1897.