Jess McClain was on her way to winning the U.S. Half Marathon Championships on Sunday in Atlanta, only to have a wrong turn land her in ninth place in an error that was hard to blame on the American long-distance runner.
McClain had taken a sizable lead with under two miles remaining in the race when the unthinkable happened, and she was led off course by the lead bike for roughly 400 meters, Athletics Illustrated reported.
Followed by Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat, the three women were forced to scramble back to get on course, adding an extra 400 meters to their race to put themselves back on the right path.
The error cost the three women, with McClain finishing in ninth place and Hurley and Kurgat completing the event in 12th and 13th place, respectively.
Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah took responsibility for the blunder of the lead bike in a statement to The Athletic.
The Atlanta Track Club was the group that organized the event, and they were the ones who provided and managed the lead vehicles.
“In the women’s race, a pace vehicle left the official course during Mile 11,” Kenah said. “As Race Director, I take full responsibility for what occurred. Athletes should never have to make a split-second decision between following a pace vehicle or trusting the official course. We are conducting a full review to determine exactly how and why the vehicle left the course to strengthen safeguards moving forward.”
Molly Born, who had been more than a minute off McClain’s pace, won the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, and USA Track & Field denied protests and appeals that were filed after the race.
USATF said that “the event did not meet USATF Rule 243 and that the course was not adequately marked at the point of misdirection,” and that “this violation contributed to the misdirection taken by the athletes within the top four at the time of misdirection.”
“However, the jury of appeals finds no recourse within the USATF rulebook to alter the results order of finish. The results order of finish as posted is considered final,” USATF continued in a statement.
The win would have been McClain’s first national championship and would have been an automatic qualification spot for the world championships.
The winner of Sunday’s race also walks away with a $20,000 prize.
Her world championships dreams aren’t off the table, however, as the USATF said the team is not selected until May and that they “will review the events from Atlanta carefully.”
“While we understand athletes are eager to resolve this issue expeditiously, our process will ensure an ultimate decision is in the best interest of all the athletes involved,” USTAF said.
McClain finished eighth in the world championship marathon last year and served as an alternate for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
She finished seventh in the Boston Marathon in 2025 and eighth in the New York City Marathon in 2024.
