World Athletics Grants USATF 7 Women for 2026 Half Marathon

World Athletics has granted USA Track and Field an exceptional allowance to send seven women instead of the usual four to the women's half marathon at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 20, following a course miscue that derailed three leading U.S. runners during their national qualifying event last month.

The decision, announced Wednesday, addresses an incident at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta on March 1, where Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat were led off course by the lead vehicle with about two miles remaining. McClain, who had built a significant lead, finished ninth, while Hurley placed 12th and Kurgat 13th, costing them automatic qualification spots reserved for the top four finishers. Molly Born won the race, with Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels taking second and third.

The affected runners filed protests immediately after the race, but a USATF jury of appeals denied them, citing no provisions in the rulebook to adjust the results. Race organizers, the Atlanta Track Club, attributed the error to police officers assigned as course marshals being redirected to handle an emergency, leaving the...