March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. half marathon championship descended into farce on Sunday when a guide vehicle led the top three women runners astray with less than two miles to go, handing victory to an athlete who had been trailing by more than a minute.
Jess McClain was comfortably leading the women's race ahead of Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley when the guide vehicle took the trio off the main course.
Molly Born, who had been more than a minute behind, capitalised on the chaos to claim an unlikely victory, with Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels completing the podium.
The misdirected leaders paid a heavy price for following the wayward vehicle, with McClain finishing ninth, Hurley 12th and Kurgat 13th. Wesley Kiptoo won the men's race without incident.
USA Track & Field denied an appeal following the incident, despite acknowledging the course was inadequately marked.
The race served as a qualifier for the 2026 World Road Running Championships, but USATF said selection remained open.
"The team will not be officially selected until May," the governing body stated. "USATF will review the events in Atlanta carefully."
USATF shifted responsibility for the guide vehicle to the local organisers, saying lead vehicles "are provided and managed by the local organising committee" and directing questions to the Atlanta Track Club.
McClain, a veteran of U.S. distance running who finished eighth in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in September in Tokyo, will now await USATF's review to see if her championship hopes can be salvaged despite the navigational nightmare.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
