Some of the 10,000 runners that participated in Sunday’s Edmonton Marathon are reporting discrepancies with the distances they ran. Robbie Yamada ran the 21.1-kilometre half marathon, but noticed that he hit 10 kilometres on his watch before nearing the halfway turnpoint. “It was pretty frustrating,” Yamada told CTV News Edmonton. “I missed my time because I wasn’t expecting to run almost 800 metres longer than what the course should have been.” Tseide Krekelberg’s goal was to run the half marathon in under two hours. She finished in just over two hours, reportedly running 22 kilometres. “I was a little bit upset because it was my first (half marathon), so I wanted it to be as good as I could be,” said Krekelberg. But the Edmonton Marathon and Athletics Canada attests that the course was measured correctly. “While GPS devices can record distances differently based on the route taken, certified road race courses are measured using an established physical measurement methodology,” said Athletics Canada in a statement Monday. “Based on this process, and the fact that the route was also confirmed on race day by a World Athletics/AIMS Grade A Course Measurer, we are confident in the accuracy of the certified course distances and the validity of the race results.” The importance of accuracy Running coach Simon Stewart said many racers are chasing records or are looking to qualify for larger races like the Boston Marathon. “The female winner yesterday was very close to breaking the Canadian record,” explained Stewart. “If a course is measuring long, then obviously that’s going to add minutes onto their time, and these races are getting harder to get into these days, so every second counts.” But Stewart said smart watches and apps used to measure running distance can show discrepancies. “The GPS is not the be-all-end-all. It does have errors, particularly if you’re running near tall buildings,” said Stewart, adding that weaving between obstacles like people and pylons can add to the distance. Edmonton Marathon said the officially measured course distance represents the “optimal racing line” – the shortest possible legal path a runner can take. “When participants were required to change lanes or navigate around construction zones, the additional lateral distance traveled is not reflected in the certified course measurement,” said a statement from Edmonton Marathon. “This is standard practice in road race measurement methodology.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
