Edmonton Marathon apologizes after discovering race courses 674.7 metres too long

The Edmonton Marathon race director apologized Tuesday after officials discovered the half-marathon and marathon courses measured 674.7 metres longer than previously certified.

Runners who suspected the distance was off had been raising concerns since Sunday. On Monday, race director Tom Keogh told media the courses were measured correctly and confirmed on race day. By Tuesday afternoon, a thorough review identified the error: officials miscalculated how much distance to add back when adjusting the course for the Wellington Bridge detour, and the turnaround-point adjustment on the west end didn't fully offset it.

"The Edmonton Marathon owns this error. We take full responsibility," Keogh said in a statement. "We appreciate the many participants who have emailed and the ones that we have followed up with to have additional conversations."

The extra distance has real consequences for runners who were using the marathon as a Boston Marathon qualifier. Calgary runner Mitch Walz trained for a year to break the 3:05 qualifying standard for his age group. He ran what he believed was 42.2 kilometres in 2:59, but his official chip time was 3:03. On Tuesday, Walz told reporters the past few days had been "an emotional roller-coaster."

"Not only did I kind of achieve one of my goals and run as good of a race as I could have imagined or dreamed, it just feels as if it was all pulled out from underneath me," he said.

Keogh said organizers are working with Athletics Canada, the national governing body for the sport, to determine how 2026 results can be recognized. Athletics Canada had also initially confirmed the course measurement and certification process — the body has yet to issue its own statement responding to the distance error.