Great Scottish Run Half measured incorrectly, 9,500 runners affected
The Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon course was remeasured on Sunday resulting in bad news for more as many as 9,500 participants from 2016.
One of Scotland’s most popular races turned out to be approximately 150m short in 2016.
The Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon, which, if measured accurately, should be 21.1K (21,098m). According to BBC News, organizers remeasured the Glasgow course on Sunday after concerns were raised about the legitimacy of the 2016 course. A discrepancy of 149.7m was found.
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“A small section of the prescribed route was not followed correctly in Bellahouston Park which accounted for approximately 50 metres of the shortfall,” race organizers said in a statement. “The remainder of the shortfall was a result of the difference between measuring on closed roads compared to a measure on unclosed roads – which was the methodology used in August as a result of notification of essential utilities works affecting the course.”
“We will be offering all 2016 half-marathon finishers a 50 per cent discount off entry into the 2017 half-marathon event,” the Great Scottish Run announced on Twitter on Tuesday. The Great Scottish Run 10K was not affected by the measurement error.
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More than 9,500 participants ran the Oct. 2, 2016 event including Callum Hawkins, who set a new Scottish half-marathon record. The ninth-place finisher (one spot ahead of Canadian Eric Gillis) in the men’s marathon at the Rio Olympics ran 1:00:24 at the Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon, a time that is no longer eligible for record purposes as the shortened course nullifies the mark. Hawkins won the overall event. Betsy Saina won the women’s event in a now-invalid 1:07:22.
“Great Run take responsibility for the miscalculation and we apologize unreservedly to the runners and to the City of Glasgow,” said race director Andy Mitchelmore. “This was an isolated incident. In the 30 years since the company was formed, more than four million people have participated in hundreds of our running events and the distances, which are measured by qualified independent parties, have been correct.”
The 2017 Great Scottish Run is scheduled for Oct. 1.
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