Greater Manchester marathon deemed too short, 24,000 runners affected
Approximately 24,000 runners were affected between 2013 and 2015 by an inaccurate race course at the Greater Manchester marathon in Britain.
Thousands of runners’ times are now invalid after the Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM) announced that the race course for three editions of the Greater Manchester marathon in Britain was 380 metres short. A marathon is 42.195 kilometres.
“The marathon course was measured by an accredited measurer in 2013 and was used for the race that year,” reads the statement, which was released on April 18, 2016. “The measurement was also used as the basis for the races in 2014 and 2015, with some adjustments. Following the 2015 race, there were suggestions that the course was short and AUKCM used GPS traces and video evidence from runners, together with satellite mapping services, to check the distance run on the day.”
Race courses are measured using a bicycle equipped with a counter that tracks the amount of times the wheel turns over a set distance.
After remeasuring the course, officials found that the race had been 380 metres short of the marathon distance. That’s approximately two minutes at five minutes per kilometre pace.
“AUKCM regret the error in measurement and the effect it has on runners times,” concludes the statement. “Significant errors in measurement are rare – our procedures are designed to find them at the reporting or checking stages.”
The Independent reports that 24,000 runners have been affected by the announcement.
RELATED: Runners frustrated with three-hour wait at Manchester’s post-marathon bag check.
According to the BBC, UK Athletics, the country’s governing body, will not recognize the times from any of the three races between 2013 and 2015.
The most recent edition of the race, which took place on April 10, was criticized by runners for having a three-hour line to collect their bags at the finish line. In 2012, Manchester Evening News reported that there was a similar incident where runners’ bags were left in a muddy field.
This year’s Greater Manchester marathon was not affected as it took place on a new, fully-certified race course.
Xtra Mile Events, the organizers of the Greater Manchester marathon, wrote on Facebook that the “responsibility for measuring of the length of the course in 2013, 2014 and 2015 laid with AUKCM, and we relied on AUKCM certification in holding the race over the specified distance.”
Their statement can be found below:
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