Elite and amateur runners alike say Edmonton Marathon courses were measured inaccurately

Organizer says Edmonton Marathon routes were accurate. Elite, amateur runners disagree

Athletics Canada, race director both say they're confident with race distances and results validity

The race director of the Edmonton Marathon says their race routes were measured correctly, despite scores of frustrated runners online claiming distances were too long.

Tom Keogh said in a statement sent to media on Monday that its half and marathon courses were certified and measured by the highest level of professional qualification in road race measurement, with the course measurer present on race day to confirm accuracy.

Keogh said there were course adjustments due to construction, which contributed to the variance between official time and runners’ GPS measurements.

“When participants were required to change lanes or navigate around construction zones, the additional lateral distance traveled is not reflected in the certified course measurement,” he said, adding that this is standard practice in road race measurement methodology.

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He also said World Athletics and Athletics Canada recognize and accept a variance of up to 1 per cent in road races.

Chris Winter, Athletics Canada’s director of domestic programs and safe sport said the governing body is confident in the Edmonton Marathon’s course measurement and certification process.

“While GPS devices can record distances differently based on the route taken, certified road race courses are measured using an established physical measurement methodology,” he said in a statement.

With less than a kilometre left in the half marathon national championship race in Edmonton on Sunday, Olympian Natasha Wodak glanced at her watch: the time was slow and though she knew she was having a slower day, something seemed off.

When she crossed the finish line in fourth, she saw her time and thought, “What in the world?”

After the race, she and other runners concluded the course must have been too long.

In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Wodak said inaccurate courses are frustrating — not only to elite runners but for all the participants spending money on entry fees and chasing personal bests.

“It really is the most important thing of a race, besides safety,” she said.

Roy Narten, an Edmonton resident who has run 38 marathons and ran the half marathon on Sunday, told CBC News his finishing time didn’t seem to line up with the splits he had seen on his GPS watch.

He said sometimes runners can end up running longer distances by weaving around other runners or not running the tangents on turns but he didn’t make those mistakes on Sunday.

Narten said the extra distance can make a big difference for runners shooting for a personal best or trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

“It’s very important to a lot of people, and I’ve heard a lot of people saying they’re not going to run this race again because of that discrepancy,” he said.

Brittney White, a Sherwood Park resident who ran the marathon, said she suspected the course was long during the race so sped up in order to qualify for Boston.

Though she was able to hit her time goal, she said a friend of hers likely won’t make it to Boston because the course was longer than 42.2 kilometres.

“It was a letdown for a lot of people,” she said.

Half marathon winner Rory Linkletter said he would have pushed himself harder to chase a course record if he had not had doubts about the course accuracy during the race.

“I kind of disengaged with the race and didn’t empty the tank,” he said.

Linkletter said he compared this year’s route to last year’s, which he also ran, and reckoned the turnaround point of this year’s course wasn’t moved back far enough to account for a route detour.

Keogh said race organizers appreciate the feedback shared by participants and are committed to operating at the highest standard.

Madeleine Cummings is a reporter with CBC Edmonton. She covers municipal affairs for CBC Edmonton's web, radio and TV platforms. Have a story idea about a civic issue? You can reach her at madeleine.cummings@cbc.ca.