Three runners who were led off course during the USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta earlier this month have been granted entry to the World Road Running Championships. Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were leading the race when the guide vehicle mistakenly took them off the course.
Molly Born, who had been more than a minute behind, went on to win the race, followed by Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels. McClain, Hurley and Kurgat finished ninth, 12th and 13th respectively, around two minutes behind Born, missing out on the $20,000 first prize and the three qualifying spots for the World Championships.
On Wednesday, USA Track & Field (USATF) announced that World Athletics had allowed it to expand its team from four to seven athletes, meaning the three affected runners will compete in Copenhagen this September. Born, Ellwood and Rodenfels will also be part of the team, with a final athlete to be determined by world rankings in May.
USATF CEO Max Siegel said: “From the moment this happened, our focus was on doing right by the athletes. Jessica, Emma Grace, and Ednah had clearly separated themselves in the race and we are sorry they did not get to celebrate their accomplishment by breaking the tape.”
The organisation will select four scoring athletes and three non-scoring athletes for the championships. The non-scoring athletes will wear a distinct kit and may not form a pack with scoring athletes during competition, with USATF funding their prize money.
