Half Marathon Winner Had Classy Move After Runners Led Off Course in Bizarre Finish

Molly Born finished first in the 2026 U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta on Sunday, but not in the way she would’ve wanted.

Coming up on the last two miles of the race, distance runner Jessica McClain—not Born—was comfortably leading the pack before she and two other runners were led off course by a race motorbike, according to The Athletic.

Born was more than a minute behind McClain when she veered off course, but Born ended up winning with a time of 1:09:43. McClain, who had to double back after making the wrong turn, placed ninth overall.

In the wake of the controversial results, Born took to social media to share an emotional message about winning the race:

“I want everyone to know that I do not feel like the winner of the 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championships, because I know I should not actually be the winner,” Born wrote on Instagram. “During the race, I did not see the top 3 ladies make the wrong turn, and thus had no idea I was technically in the lead after the fatefully confusing intersection with about a mile to go.

“... The least that can be done is to have the women who almost certainly would have finished top 3 represent the USA at worlds and compensate them monetarily. ... If a spot on the world team for Copenhagen is offered to me, I do not plan to take it regardless of who it goes to because I did not fairly earn it. Here’s to hoping there can be changes to the rules in this exceptional circumstance so that there may be some justice for the runners who were wronged.”

Born took home the $20,000 prize for first place, but the Atlanta Track Club—which organized the race—announced Tuesday that McClain would receive $20,000 as well. The two other runners who also were led astray received half of the combined total of second and third place, $9,500 each.

The track club explained that the lead motorbike for the women’s race went off course due to an incident of an officer being struck by a vehicle and taken to the hospital.

“We are responsible for the integrity of these championships,” the Atlanta Track Club said in a statement. “We regret that Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were impacted by this incident and were unable to be recognized as the top three finishers reflective of their performance on the course.

USA Track & Field has since acknowledged the race snafu but said the results would not be changed.

Sunday’s race marked a huge opportunity for McClain to not only win her first national championship title, but also to secure an automatic qualification spot to represent Team USA in the world championship event in Denmark in September. USA Track & Field released a statement saying they will “review the events from Atlanta carefully” and clarified that the world championship team wouldn’t officially be selected until May.

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