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Organisers of the Edmonton Marathon have admitted their course this year was more than half a kilometre too long.<\/b><\/p>\n
The annual event in Alberta, Canada is often used as a qualifier for the prestigious Boston Marathon.<\/p>\n
But a number of frustrated runners voiced concerns online after the 16 August race, noting that the distance on their GPS running watches was over 26.22 miles.<\/p>\n
Organisers initially dismissed complaints, but in a statement on Wednesday they acknowledged an extra 674.7 metres (0.41 miles) was mistakenly added to the course.<\/p>\n
Race director Tom Keogh said: “We do not take this lightly. We hosted the nation’s best athletes and their finishing times did not truly reflect their amazing performances.”<\/p>\n
Keogh added that organisers “did not deliver the standard participants deserved”.<\/p>\n
Construction work around the Wellington Bridge was cited by organisers as the main reason for the error, which forced a slight detour to the course’s usual route.<\/p>\n
The extra distance means participants may have missed out on qualifying for the Boston Marathon, as well as personal best times.<\/p>\n
Qualifying times for Boston are based on a participant’s official chip time at qualifying events – not the time recorded on their watch.<\/p>\n
Organisers say they are working with Athletics Canada and other partners to determine how this year’s results can be recognised.<\/p>\n
BBC Sport has contacted the Edmonton Marathon for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n