Thirteen runners missed out on qualifying for the Boston Marathon due to a miscalculation in the Edmonton Marathon course length. Organizers of the Edmonton race announced on Thursday that while 92 competitors’ finishing times would be accepted by the Boston Marathon, the remaining 13 would not qualify. The Edmonton race on August 16 turned out to be approximately two-thirds of a kilometer longer than it should have been.
Initially, Edmonton organizers defended the accuracy of the course length but later acknowledged an error in their calculations during a review. The miscalculation was attributed to a detour that was incorrectly mapped. The Boston Athletics Association, responsible for the Boston Marathon, had indicated that despite the extended distance in Edmonton, runners would still be eligible if they met the qualifying time. However, any race times adjusted to accommodate the additional distance were not accepted, resulting in the disqualification of the 13 runners.
Edmonton organizers pledged to contact the affected individuals and collaborate with Athletics Canada to reassess the course certification process. Tom Keogh, the race director for the Edmonton Marathon, expressed regret over the mistake and assured that measures would be taken to prevent such errors in the future.
Several participants had raised concerns about the course length before, during, and after the event, noting discrepancies with the standard marathon and half marathon distances. Race officials later confirmed that the course was 674.7 meters longer than the required distance. Despite the oversight, two course records were broken in both the men’s and women’s marathons at the Edmonton event.