Professional long distance runner Camille HerronAlthough it was an extraordinary 100-mile marathon, it didn’t break the world record.
Herron is widely known as one of top ultrarunners around the globe. She won the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival 100 miler in February. in Nevada.
The race was called the USA Track and Field 100 Mile Road Championships.Â
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Camille Herron, a long-distance runner from the United States, reacts to winning the 89km Comrades Marathon, which took place between Durban, South Africa and Pietermaritzburg on June 4, 2017. Over 17,000 runners came from all over the globe to participate in this annual ultra marathon.
Herron completed the race in 12 hours 41 minutes and 11 second, almost 30 minutes faster than Arlen Gilick, second-place finisher. She broke her own record of 12 hrs, 42 minutes, and 40 seconds, or at the very least, that is what she had figured.
Officials finally ruled that the course was cut by 716 yards. This change meant that Herron’s record was not ratified by the USA Track and Field Committee.
Conor Holt, Herron’s coach, and Ken Rubeli, her race director, expressed suspicion about the findings because of what they claimed was a lack in transparency from track and fields officials. According to a letter obtained By The Washington Post, Ken Rubeli (race director) questioned the legitimacy and validity of the findings.
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The situation was devastating, said the 40-year old runner.
“I set a world record in that race, and now they’re telling us that we don’t know whether the course was 100 miles or not,” she said. “So it’s been very upsetting to me the past several months. I’ve had races since then, and this has weighed heavy on me and impacted my performances.”
In a statement USA Track and FieldDavid Katz, an official, claimed that the measurements had produced a course of less than 100 miles.
Camille Herron, a long-distance runner from the United States, reacts to winning the 89km Comrades Marathon, which took place between Durban, South Africa and Pietermaritzburg on June 4, 2017. Over 17,000 runners came from all over the globe to participate in this annual ultra marathon.
(Photo credit RAJESH JAANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images
Katz continued by noting that the course was measured twice, in February and October, by two “top Alevel measurers”, and came up 716ft short.
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Rubeli addressed his concerns about the measurements to Nancy Hobbs, who is the chairperson of the USATF Mountain, Ultra and Trail Sport Council.
“Trying to measure a course’s shortest possible route 8 months after a race, is challenging at best and open to subjectivity, especially if the measurement individuals don’t know the relevance of the green course paint marks relative to cone placement,” Rubeli wrote.
Camille Herron, a long-distance runner from the United States, reacts to winning the 89km Comrades Marathon, which took place between Durban, South Africa and Pietermaritzburg on June 4, 2017. Over 17,000 runners came from all over the globe to participate in this annual ultra marathon.
(Photo JAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images).
Rubeli also mentioned safety concerns when he talked about changing a turning on the course.
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Herron claimed that she was certain she ran the full 100-mile distance and would like another chance at breaking the record.
“I hope I get another opportunity at the record, but I may not — you don’t know what the future holds,” she said. “So this is extremely impactful for me and on my career. I mean, I’m 40 years old, you know. My time is now that I’m in the best shape of my life. These moments can be fleeting. That performance was so important for the sport and its history that I put my heart into it.
