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Atlanta Track Club offers prize money to runners affected by race mishap
Atlanta Track Club has taken responsibility for the incident that caused three elite runners to go off course during the U.S. Half Marathon Championships and has offered to match prize money for the runners. The post Atlanta Track Club offers prize money to runners affected by race mishap appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
In the wake of a controversy surrounding Sunday’s U.S. Half Marathon Championships, the Atlanta Track Club on Tuesday revealed that a police officer struck by a vehicle during the race triggered a chain of events that led three elite runners off course in the final miles.
A Fulton County Sheriff’s officer working the event was hit by a car at 8:05 a.m. near the intersection where the wrong turn later occurred. When Atlanta Police dispatched an officer-down call two minutes later, race-assigned officers left their posts to respond, leaving the intersection unattended.
In a statement on their website, the Atlatna Track Club said that a replacement officer who arrived was not aware that the lead vehicle was supposed to cross a footbridge that doesn’t normally allow car traffic and failed to redirect the driver. The lead vehicle followed a police motorcycle off course, and Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat followed. The detour added roughly a half mile to their race.
The injured officer was transported to Grady Hospital and released later that day.
Club takes responsibility, offers prize money
“We are responsible for the integrity of these championships,” Atlanta Track Club said in its statement. “We regret that Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were impacted by this incident and were unable to be recognized as the top three finishers reflective of their performance on the course.”
The club has offered to match prize money for the three runners. McClain will receive the equivalent of first-place money. Hurley and Kurgat will split the combined second- and third-place totals, as they were running side by side when they left the course.
Official results remain unchanged. Molly Born is still credited with the win. USATF previously said the World Road Running Championships team is not finalized until May and that it would review the incident before making a final selection.
The post Atlanta Track Club offers prize money to runners affected by race mishap appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
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