Officials with last weekend's 7 Bridges Marathon are apologizing to race participants after a mapping error that invalidated the results of the 4 Bridges Half Marathon.
The half marathon course did not cover a full 13.1 miles, a mistake that co-race director Jay Nevans attributed to a discrepancy between the course that race officials designed and the maps that the city made for the course.
"We let down our runners," co-race director Jay Nevans said in a statement to the Times Free Press. "We understand they are upset because we are runners too. We know how much time goes into training, nutrition, and being ready for race day. They worked hard. It matters and they're justifiably upset."
People wait at the finish line at Coolidge during the 7 Bridges Marathon in this 2014 file photo. More than 1,400 runners from across the country completed the not quite half marathon, and Nevans said that race officials have received a lot of feedback from competitors upset with the mishap.
"Some of it was hard to hear but we take away something positive from all of it," Nevans' statement said. "We take our races seriously and work hard to serve the community with safe and fun events. We also heard lots of positive feedback from runners. They mentioned our wonderful volunteers at aid stations and corner marshals, our energetic staff, the beautiful weather, the wonderful city, and our wonderful bridges."
Nevans said any half marathon participant who uses the promo code "HALFOFFHALF" at the race' website can register for next year's half marathon at half the price.
"We know we made a critical mistake," Nevans wrote, "and for those whose confidence we lost, we'll earn it back."