Runners Led Off Course by Guide Vehicle Awarded Prize Money After US Half Marathon Championship

Three runners who were led off course by a guide vehicle in Sunday's USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championship will receive prize money after all.

Jess McClain, Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley were the top three runners in the field when they unwittingly went in the wrong direction with under two miles left in the race.

That allowed Molly Born, who had been a distant fourth to that point, to earn the win. McClain, Kurgat and Hurley wound up in ninth, 13th and 12th, respectively.

In a turn of events, the Atlanta Track Club has decided to award each of those runners prize money, according to Jessica Hopkins of The Athletic. McClain will get $20,000 while Hurley and Kurgat will each receive $9,500 (the combined amount for the second and third-place prizes after being split by two).

Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah told The Athletic's Devon Henderson he took "full responsibility" for what transpired.

"Athletes should never have to make a split-second decision between following a pace vehicle or trusting the official course," he said. "We are conducting a full review to determine exactly how and why the vehicle left the course to strengthen safeguards moving forward."

USA Track & Field previously said its jury of appeals determined the course "was not adequately marked at the point of misdirection." Still, it didn't change the outcome of the race.

"This violation contributed to the misdirection taken by the athletes within the top four at the time of misdirection," the organization said. "However, the jury of appeals finds no recourse within the USATF rulebook to alter the results order of finish. The results order of finish as posted is considered final."

While McClain wound up getting the prize money, she would have gotten an automatic qualification spot for the world championship event in Denmark in September. Per Hopkins, the USATF said it will "review the events from Atlanta carefully" while noting the teams is not named until May.

Born said on Instagram that she would not plan on accepting on accepting an invite to the world championship event if offered because "I did not fairly earn it."