Thirteen runners were disqualified from qualifying for the Boston Marathon due to a miscalculated racecourse length at the Edmonton Marathon. The Boston Marathon accepted the finishing times of 92 participants but not those of the 13 affected runners. The race in Edmonton on August 16 was discovered to be approximately two-thirds of a kilometer longer than it should have been.
Initially, Edmonton organizers defended the accuracy of the course length but later admitted a mistake in their calculations, attributing it to an error in a mapped detour. The Boston Athletics Association, which oversees the Boston Marathon, stated that although the Edmonton runners had to cover extra distance, they could still qualify if their original times met the Boston qualifying standards. However, adjusted times to accommodate the additional distance were not accepted, resulting in the disqualification of the 13 runners.
Edmonton organizers have pledged to contact the affected individuals and collaborate with Athletics Canada to review the course certification process. Tom Keogh, the race director of the Edmonton Marathon, expressed regret over the distance error and assured that such mistakes would not recur. Despite the extended course length, two course records were broken in both the men’s and women’s marathons at the event.
Several participants noted before, during, and after the race that their own distance measurements indicated that the racecourse exceeded the standard 42.2 kilometers for the full marathon and 21.1 kilometers for the half marathon. Race officials later confirmed that the course was 674.7 meters longer than required.
