Newport Marathon organisers issue apology after course distance was too long
Newport Marathon organisers have apologised after it was found the course of this year's race was too long.
The race, which took place on April 28, was 276 metres longer than the 26.2 mile marathon distance - the equivalent to 0.171 miles.
Run 4 Wales says it is "disappointed that this has happened at one of its events and understands and apologies unreservedly to those impacted".
The course is one of the most popular on the Welsh running calendar, partly down to its flat terrain leading it to being named among the fastest marathons in the world.
Runners will have their times amended automatically if they are applying for a 'Good For Age' entry into the London Marathon.
In a statement posted on their social media pages, the organisers said: "We've been looking into reports around the accuracy of the marathon course distance at the Newport Marathon Festival on Sunday 28 April.
"This issue has been taken very seriously and we have been having an ongoing dialogue with the Course Measurer/Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM).
"Unfortunately, the AUKCM has concluded that there was an error with their course measurement, resulting in the marathon being 276m too long, which equates to 0.171 miles.
"Run 4 Wales is disappointed that this has happened at one of its events and understands and apologises unreservedly to those impacted, particularly those aiming for good for age qualifying times.
"For this reason, we have been working with London Marathon Events who have agreed that times will be amended for those applying for a Good for Age entry at the TCS London Marathon, should the athlete have been affected in gaining a place.
"An equivalent number of seconds will be removed from the finish times of those applying for a Good for Age entry.
"For example, a three-hour finish time would be corrected approximately by 70 seconds, a 3.5-hour finish time would be corrected by 82 seconds and a four-hour finish time would be corrected by 94 seconds. This will be done automatically via the London Marathon system when applying.
"The AUKCM can confirm there were no issues with their half marathon or 10K course measurements."
In a statement, the Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM) said they are taking the reports "very seriously."
Mike Burns, AUKCM Secretary, said: “Without a verification check on the course we are unable to confirm the exact details of any measurement error. However, a detailed inspection of the measurement report (which runs to 20 pages) confirms a likely error at one point in the course.
“AUKCM certifies over 2000 races a year and we sincerely regret where anyissues of accuracy arise. Fortunately, these are very few and the majority are dueto issues outside the control of AUKCM.”
He added: “AUKCM is run entirely by volunteers. The majority of AUKCM course measurersare runners themselves, who want to ensure, as far as possible, that racedistances are accurate. Where there are any perceived problems we will workwith race organisers and licensing bodies to investigate them.”
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