Did they really think no one would notice the course was 800 meters short?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
"As directed by the City of Chicago, the Chicago Half Marathon event operations team implemented a required course change just prior to the start of the event, reducing the overall distance by 0.5 miles." - said the organizers.
Sorry, this sounds fishy to me. Did someone with the race not do all their permitting homework? The only time I have experienced a large race last-second course change like this is when the Army Ten Miler security forces spotted a suspicious package beside the course - later determined to be a bundle of trash. I see no report of any such security concerns in Chicago. Exactly what was the reason for the "required course change:?
You might be right. That is an oddly worded statement that seems to leave open the possibility that they just screwed up and didn't get all the approvals they needed ahead of time.