Chicago half marathon finisher furious that race was a kilometer short

Thousands of runners appeared to set personal bests at the 2022 HOKA Chicago Half Marathon last Sunday, but didn’t actually run the half marathon distance as the race was 1km short. It turned out thatMany runners participated in this event social media pagescommented that their Strava upload was well below the 21.1 km distance, and organizers admitted the course was short.

One runner wrote: I think the turnaround was too early. When I passed the 9 mile marker, I realized something was up, but I was only 8.5 miles away…until then, my GPS was perfectly aligned with the marker. ”

Another runner commented: [Were] Are you short today? ”

Other runners began replying to messages, expressing frustration at not hearing from the race.

The organizer replied that the runner was correct. “Our primary goal has always been to provide a safe and positive experience for all attendees. Due to unforeseen circumstances, a last minute course change was implemented in partnership with the City of Chicago. The impact was a reduction in distance across the course.We have chosen to prioritize the safety of our athletes and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Many runners were outraged and demanded refunds. “You chose to keep the athlete a secret and hoped no one would find out,” wrote one runner. “We paid for the half marathon, not his 12.6 miles.” I did.”

Matthew Baxter The New Zealander, training with the NAZ Elite in Flagstaff, Arizona, won the race in 1:01:54. Baxter wrote on his Instagram, “I came to Chicago to participate in and win a marathon effort run. Unfortunately the course was short and the finish time was not accurate.”

The HOKA Chicago Half Marathon is not related to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9th or Bank of America 13.1.