Whistler half-marathon was short

It seemed too good to be true. The number of personal bests in the field of nearly a thousand runners at the 2012 Whistler half-marathon was astonishing. Turns out, the course was short.

Race director Dave Clark sent out a media release and a letter to all participants on Tuesday, indicating that the route was short by 1,233.5m. That means runners actually ran 19.864K on June 2. Several personal bests were recorded on the day, with near-perfect running conditions. But with the rolling hills on the Whistler course, it was somewhat surprising to see so many runners achieve lifetime bests.

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Clark immediately began fielding questions from runners and media about the times and the actual distance run. Many of them noted that their GPS watches indicated the course was about 1K short. “Based on the fact that we recently had invested in professional course certification sanctioned by B.C. Athletics, I was surprised by these questions,” Clark said in a statement.

He asked officials to investigate the problem. They found that the instrument used to measure the course was calibrated incorrectly. The Jones counter, which is attached to a bike to measure distance — and used by top-level races — was set on a course in nearby Squamish. But officials from B.C. Athletics discovered an error after looking into the complaints:

“Investigations have shown that a fire hydrant used as a reference point for calibration had been moved by approximately 17.5m. This difference, compounded over the race distance, resulted in a course that was 1,233.5m short, or 19.864K.”

Clark has issued an apology to all runners and sponsors of the race. “I am personally disheartened,” he added. “Our team made an investment in professional distance certification using B.C. Athletics-sanctioned course certifiers and were advised that the course was an accurate half marathon distance.” Clark said he will do everything he can to ensure that next year’s course is accurate.

Aside from the course measurement error, the 2012 The North Face Whistler half-marathon was a major success, selling out in record time and attracting runners from across Canada.