US track star who lost national title after being taken the wrong way by hapless officials learns her fate… as probe reveals shocking reason why it happened
Long-distance runner Jess McClain has been gifted the $20,000 first prize she missed out on after an investigation into the bizarre circumstances that led to her missing out on a national title.
The 34-year-old American was poised to win the 2026 U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta on Sunday when the lead vehicle mistakenly led her and two other runners off the course, allowing their rivals to come through and beat them.
The shocking events sparked a full investigation from Atlanta Track Club, and it has now been revealed that a police officer being struck by a car set in motion an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to the mishap.
In a lengthy statement detailing the findings of the incident, it was revealed that police personnel were placed at various stages of the course to ensure that all the runners were safely guided through on their way to the finish.
Unfortunately, 13 minutes before the lead runners arrived, an off-duty officer was struck by a car nearby, sparking an ‘officer down’ broadcast and all race-assigned cops rushing to the scene amid reports of the vehicle fleeing, with cones moved in the process.
A short time later, an off-duty officer filled in at the Nelson Street spot that had been vacated, but was unaware that a footbridge ahead was part of the race.
Jess McClain (pictured in 2024) missed out on the national title and a $20,000 first prize
The lead runners, led by a pace vehicle, then arrived on the scene and McClain and Co were guided left instead of straight onto the footbridge, with no cones in place to block the incorrect route.
The officer, having just arrived to fill in for a colleague and with no prior knowledge of the route, was therefore unable to assist and divert the women back on course.
The race-assigned officers then arrived back on the scene, realizing what had happened, and they managed to chase down the three runners to turn them around and back to the correct route – but not before they had been overtaken by their rivals.
In its statement, Atlanta Track Club apologized and has pledged to match the prize money from the race, allowing McClain to take home the $20,000 she would have collected had she won.
Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat – the other two runners who followed her the wrong way – were level at the time and are therefore being given a split of the second and third-placed prize money of $12,000 and $7,500.
McClain was poised to win the U.S. Half Marathon Championships when she was led astray
The 34-year-old runner was forced to double back on herself after being told about the error
As it stands, McClain is still going to miss out on her automatic spot in the World Road Running Championships, which she would have earned with a victory. Her place went to Molly Born, who won the race despite having been over a minute behind when the incident occurred.
McClain, who ended up ninth after the officials’ blunder, expressed her devastation at the end of the race, declaring that she was ‘p***ed off’.
‘I just hate that the athletes are ALWAYS the ones who pay the price (literally $$) time & time again,’ she wrote on social media.
‘This truly sucks for everyone involved. No one wants this outcome, ever. Mistakes happen & I am sure those who were leading us feel terrible about the outcome.’
She then added: ‘I’m going [to] try my hardest to walk away from this weekend remembering the joy I felt in those moments where I thought I was on my way to becoming a National Champion.’
She added that she had hoped to ‘finally make Team USA outright,’ a milestone that vanished when the lead convoy veered off course for what was estimated to be around 400 meters.
Despite the clear officiating failure, the USATF denied all protests and appeals, stating there is ‘no recourse within the USATF rulebook to alter the results’.
McClain has now been gifted the $20,000 prize she would have won, after a full review
While the results stand, the USATF noted that the World Championship team for Copenhagen will not be finalized until May as they ‘carefully review’ the chaos to ensure the ‘best interest of all athletes.’
The organization added: ‘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.’
McClain remains hopeful for a resolution, noting: ‘It sounds like conversations are still being had, so I am choosing to remain hopeful that we’ll soon have a little more clarity.’
‘I hope & trust that @usatf & @atlantatrackclub can somehow make it right for the athletes who were led off course,’ McClain concluded in her desperate Instagram appeal.
