Scott,
I meant what you meant - that the process should have gone through Andy and thence to Neville, who should have overseen the validation.
The preliminary stuff is supposed to settle questions of timing and whether the course followed a certified course.
Using the shortcut in this case does not seem to have done harm, but when the preliminary work isn't done, and done right, the validator can waste his time, as when Mike Wickiser arrived all set to measure only to find that the race organization had shortened the race-day course 200 or 300 meters because they liked the new start location better.