Distance runner Jess McClain led off course in bizarre finish at U.S. Half Marathon Championships

With under 2 miles remaining, distance runner Jess McClain found herself leading the 2026 U.S. Half Marathon Championships on Sunday in Atlanta, with no one in sight behind or in front of her. She was cruising toward a national title.

Until she realized there wasn’t anyone in front of her. Because she had followed the lead vehicle off course.

In a hurry, she turned back around to find her way back, with Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat also following the errant direction and having to turn around.

By the time McClain found her way back to the correct finish line, she finished ninth. Molly Born won the race in 69 minutes, 43 seconds, after being more than a minute off McClain’s pace.

Protests were immediately filed and upheld, in turn inciting appeals that were denied, according to a statement provided to The Athletic by USA Track & Field.

Chaos at USA half marathon championships. Lead vehicle goes off course in women’s race in 13th mile. Top 3 women were well clear. They should have gone straight here. pic.twitter.com/N5FzA2tssK

— LetsRun.com (@letsrundotcom) March 1, 2026

The statement explained that the jury of appeals found, “the event did not meet USATF Rule 243 and that the course was not adequately marked at the point of misdirection. This violation contributed to the misdirection taken by the athletes within the top four at the time of misdirection. 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.”

USATF said lead vehicles are provided and managed by the local organizing committee. In Sunday’s race, that was the Atlanta Track Club.

There was a course technical meeting the day before the race, and runners are responsible for knowing the course, per race rules. But Rich Kenah, CEO of the Atlanta Track Club, took full responsibility for the error in a statement provided to The Athletic.

“In the women’s race, a pace vehicle left the official course during Mile 11,” Kenah said. “As Race Director, I take full responsibility for what occurred. Athletes should never have to make a split-second decision between following a pace vehicle or trusting the official course. We are conducting a full review to determine exactly how and why the vehicle left the course to strengthen safeguards moving forward.”

McClain’s final listed time was 1:11:27. Hurley (1:11:38) and Kurgat (1:11:50) finished 12th and 13th, respectively. Born was credited with the win for being the first to complete the correct course, with Carrie Ellwood (69:47) and Annie Rodenfels (1:10:12) finishing second and third.

“An utterly bizarre situation,” announcer Tim Hutchings said on the broadcast. “These things happen. You see it in races occasionally. Athletes follow bikes that are turning off course, then they make a wrong turn. … It’s hard to think on your feet.

“When you’re in the heat of battle, you’re seeing red, you’ve got your head down, you’re laser-focused on the task at hand. You don’t necessarily listen to people yelling at you from behind. You don’t check if you’re still on course. You’re following a lead vehicle, and it looks like you’re on a good course. But that was not the case today for Jess McClain.”

McClain lost the opportunity for her first national championship and an automatic qualification spot for the world championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Additionally, she missed out on a $20,000 payout given to the men’s and women’s winners. USA Track & Field could step in to pay out the top three finishers, but McClain was officially credited with a ninth-place finish.

The Copenhagen World Championships are not completely out of the picture for McClain, however, according to the USATF statement.

“This race was a selection event for the 2026 World Road Running Championships,” the statement read. “That team is not officially selected until May. USATF will review the events from Atlanta carefully. While we understand athletes are eager to resolve this issue expeditiously, our process will ensure an ultimate decision is in the best interest of all the athletes involved.”

The 34-year-old McClain represented the United States in the 2025 world championship marathon, where she finished eighth. She was in search of her first half-marathon national title after finishing fourth in the same event last year.

Correction: An earlier version of this article, relying on inaccurate information provided by USA Track & Field, misstated the result of protests filed after the race. The protests were upheld, not denied.