Picture this: you’re nearing the end of a challenging 21.1-kilometre half marathon — and you’re leading the pack.
You’re closely following the official pace car ahead, fully aware that the championship title is nearly yours. However, you suddenly discover that the vehicle has taken a wrong turn. Consequently, you do too. By the time you manage to get back on track, you’ve lost your lead.
No, this isn’t a vivid anxiety dream (unless, of course, the detour leads you to your old high school, where you realize you never graduated and you’re also in your birthday suit).
This scenario reflects what transpired on Sunday at the U.S.A. Track and Field (USATF) Half Marathon Championships, involving Phoenix runner Jessica McClain, igniting controversy and outrage within the running community.
With roughly 2.4 kilometres remaining, McClain was leading by a significant margin when she and other front runners mistakenly followed a guide vehicle, which took them off the designated path for nearly one kilometre.
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By the time she regained her position, about two minutes had slipped away, resulting in a ninth-place finish for her. This outcome cost her a chance to compete in the World Athletics Road Running Championships this autumn and the accompanying $20,000 US prize. The runners who had been behind her ended up finishing in 12th and 13th places.
“I had to halt, execute a tight U-turn, and sprint back onto the course as a national championship title and a world team opportunity slipped away,” McClain shared in an Instagram post.
“There needs to be changes made, and protections should be established for athletes striving to give their best on race day.”
A screenshot of an Instagram post by Phoenix runner Jessica McClain from Sunday. (@jesstonn/Instagram)
‘Every race director’s worst nightmare’
The Atlanta Track Club, which organized the event, issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that a series of unfortunate incidents led to that crucial intersection being unmonitored at the most inopportune time.
According to the track club, a police officer assigned to the race was struck by a vehicle approximately 90 metres from the intersection. As a result, the officers stationed at the intersection were called to assist and left their posts without repositioning the traffic cones.
Consequently, a motorcycle, pace car, and four runners made an “incorrect” left turn at the intersection while “the race-related officer(s) assigned to guide them to the footbridge were a block away attending to the injured officer,” the statement detailed.
A police officer returned to the intersection on a motorcycle and caught up with the runners who were going off course. They then turned back and rejoined the race at the same spot they exited.
The injured officer was transported to the hospital but was released the same day, according to the Atlanta Track Club.
“It’s incredibly disheartening and every race director’s worst nightmare,” Susan Ibach, a runner from Ottawa’s rural Manotick community, told CBC News.
Ibach, 56, assists with the annual Ottawa Race Weekend and participates in the planning of road closures and marking cones to guide runners. She noted that police officers are assigned to crucial race points, and there is a stipulation that if an officer receives a call, they must vacate their post.
This situation has never occurred in any of the races Ibach has worked on, and she describes what unfolded on Sunday in Atlanta as “the worst-case scenario” and “unfortunate luck.”
“An error occurred, and the outcome for these runners was impacted in the most unfortunate way,” Ibach stated, adding, “As frustrating as it may be, I believe the race results should remain unchanged. The reality is that those who adhered to the course are the ones who placed first, second, and third.”
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Molly Born from Chapel Hill, N.C., crossed the finish line first with a time of one hour, nine minutes, and 43 seconds. As highlighted by track and field news outlet Citius Mag, she was in fifth place when the wrong turn happened but managed to stay on the correct track.
She expressed her surprise and confusion upon breaking through the finish line, believing she was still trailing behind the leaders, in an interview with RunnerSpace.com.
“I was so far back that I didn’t see them make the wrong turn,” Born stated.
She also shared on Instagram that should a spot on the world team be offered to her, she doesn’t intend to accept it. “I did not earn it fairly,” she mentioned.
McClain and three other runners who followed the lead vehicle submitted an appeal after their protest regarding the finishing order was denied. The USATF indicated in a statement that the jury of appeals determined that the incident did not meet the threshold for inadequate course marking, and despite the vehicle leading the runners off course, there is no option to amend the final standings.
The organization mentioned that the American team for the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships will not be officially selected until May, and they will continue to evaluate the events that occurred in Atlanta.
“We have communicated directly with all athletes involved and appreciate their professionalism and patience, despite their understandable frustration,” the USATF said via an Instagram story.
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The Atlanta Track Club announced on Tuesday that it will match the prize money, ensuring that McClain receives the equivalent of the first-place prize, while the two runners who trailed her will share the combined total of second- and third-place prizes “since they were side by side when they exited the course.”
While this incident may represent a nightmare scenario for both runners and race directors, it is not the first instance of marathon mishaps.
One of the most infamous cases is the 1904 St. Louis Olympics marathon, where a runner was chased off the route by a pack of wild dogs, over half of the participants withdrew due to dehydration, the victor was treated with egg whites, brandy, and stimulants, and the first finisher was ultimately disqualified for having hitched a ride for part of the course.