© Copyright – 2026 – Athletics Illustrated
“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime, you’ll find
You get what you need.”
— Rolling Stones, 1969, Let It Bleed.
On March 1, at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta, three women were led off course late in the race. They were Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat, running in that order. Once they discovered they were going the wrong way, McClain turned around, and all three hightailed it to get back on course.
The three never caught up to the others, now leading the race. The top three finishers ended up being Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood, and Annie Rodenfels.
It was likely that the three who were led off course would have finished 1-2-3 and would have been named to Team USA for the World Road Running Championships in September in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“From the moment this happened, our focus was on doing right by the athletes,” said USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel. “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. On behalf of everyone at USA Track & Field, I want to thank World Athletics. Their council and leadership are committed to a fair and athlete-centred solution that preserves the integrity of competition while recognizing the reality of what occurred in Atlanta.”
While corrected later in the USATF press release, the three athletes did not “separate themselves;” they were led off course by the lead vehicle.
Seigel petitioned World Athletics to allow the three athletes who were led off course to compete, while the first three also rightfully get to race for Team USA. A seventh spot will be announced after May 5, based on rankings, making it seven women for the Americans, versus four for all other teams. The top three only may score for Team USA. The remaining four may earn prize money from USATF, and their performances will count toward world ranking, as they should; it is a certified course.
From the USATF press release
During the Atlanta race, an extraordinary chain of events—including the injury of a police officer—resulted in the lead vehicle directing the front pack off course just after the 12-mile mark. At the time, McClain, Hurley, and Kurgat held a decisive lead over the field. In recognition of their position in the race, they were previously named to an honorary podium, awarded USATF Road Running Circuit points, and received top-three prize money from Atlanta Track Club.
For the World Championships, Team USATF will designate 4 scoring athletes and 3 non-scoring athletes. The scorers will be determined with input from the athletes once the final team is known and all athletes have accepted their place on the team.
World Athletics has made the exceptional decision to allow additional female USA Track and Field (@usatf) athletes to run at the 2026 #WorldRoadRunningChamps (WRRC) following the extraordinary nature of an incident at the recent USATF Half-Marathon Championships that acted as a… pic.twitter.com/RSOjI8hSPD
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) March 25, 2026
Non-scoring athletes will be recognized as official members of Team USATF and eligible for individual ranking points, but will wear a distinct team kit and may not form a pack with scoring athletes during competition
USATF will cover all expenses associated with the additional entries. Should any non-scoring athletes finish in a prize-eligible position, USATF will also provide the corresponding prize money.
The full U.S team for the World Road Running Championships will be named following the USATF 1 Mile Championships on April 22 and the USATF 5K Championships on May 2. The World Athletics Road Running Championships will be held September 19-20.
The debacle in the media
Some media agreed with the decision, and some did not. For example, Let’sRun.com, known for strong opinion writing, made its feelings known about the decision.
Let’s Run wrote on its homepage, “A ridiculous solution to the USATF Half wrong turn debacle.”
From the Let’sRun.com website:
“All three women who were lead off course will race at the World Road Running Championships after World Athletics offers a “one-time exceptional expanded entry” for USATF
“After a formal request by USATF CEO Max Siegel, World Athletics has agreed to give USATF 7 spots instead of 4 at the World Road Running Championships in September. This will allow the three women led off course during the USATF Half Champs, Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat, to race as well as the women who officially earned their spot. As part of the exception, only 4 of the athletes will count in the team scoring and USATF will cover all expenses for the additional entries. On this week’s Track Talk podcast, we explained why we think this is a ridiculous decision.”
Rich Pearlman at The Sports Examiner feels it is a reasonable solution given the complex nature of the event. However, the publication feels that the issue is not over yet.
“But someone will come up with some other problem in the future, maybe not from the U.S., but from somewhere else.
“For USATF, this is a resolution which should keep them – and the Atlanta Track Club – out of court. The Atlanta Track Club has already matched the prize money that the top three would have won if they had continued on to the finish, about a mile away at the time of the incident. USATF is covering the rest of the costs as if the three race leaders had finished 1-2-3.”
At the end of the day, all options would have had their detractors and advocates.
According to World Athletics wording, “It is the athlete’s responsibility to know the course.”
As there has been a rash of road races marred by runners going off course, perhaps the World Athletics Council should revisit the responsibility of the race organizers. Or not make exceptions “one time,” or not, as there will be future appeals to similar situations.
