San Francisco Half Marathon Runners Disappointed By Short Course

At this year’s San Francisco Half Marathon, over 3,600 runners completed the course only to discover that it was 12.6 miles long instead of 13.1 miles. 

Around 30,000 runners take part in races over the San Francisco Marathon weekend, where they have the option to take part in the Marathon, the Bridge Half or the City Half, plus some shorter routes. The half options let you choose to run either the first half of the marathon (over the Bridge) or the second half (through the City) as separate events, which is a great approach to a city marathon. 

However, the course measurement was inaccurate for the second half, or the City Half marathon, being around half a mile short (800m). The first half and the full marathon distances were measured accurately according to race organisers, though Reddit discussions and Strava data from Bridge Half finishers also suggests a short course, while full distance data appears to be beyond the 26.2 mile distance. An unfortunate shortcut diversion in the City Half has been identified in the course. 

Given that the race costs $151 (which includes a race jacket), it’s an error which has angered many runners, especially those who had trained hard aiming for goal times, or those who had travelled from across the country to take part in the race. 

Organisers confirmed to SFGate that “Our USATF course certifier validated that he measured the course incorrectly.” They separately added: “We know how disappointed the second-half marathon runners are, and we are as well. Unfortunately, the course route was measured correctly, but the certification map was drawn incorrectly. Mile markers are added based on the map, thus causing the distance calculation error.”

How would you feel if a race was significantly shorter than it should be? 

Image SF Marathon Facebook