Edmonton Marathon apologizes for course error adding 674.7 meters

Race organizers for the Servus Edmonton Marathon have apologized and taken responsibility for a course measurement error that added an extra 674.7 meters to both the full marathon and half-marathon routes on Sunday. The admission reverses an initial defense of the course certification and comes after athletes raised concerns that the distance was significantly longer than advertised. The error has cast uncertainty over the results, particularly for runners pursuing qualifying times for major events like the Boston Marathon.

The miscalculation originated from an attempt to adjust for a construction detour near the Wellington Bridge. Race director Tom Keogh explained in a statement that the change made to the west-end turnaround did not fully offset the added distance from the detour. “Upon review it was determined that the turnaround point did not fully offset the addition of the detour,” Keogh said, adding that the event owns the error and takes full responsibility. This revision followed an earlier statement issued Monday in which officials expressed confidence that the course had been correctly set up to its certified length based on the information available at the time.