Enowitz, 36, from Los Angeles, was leading the race on 22/3, accompanied by a guide cyclist, when he was instructed to turn around at approximately the 21 km mark. However, this turnaround point was set 1,6 km earlier than regulated, which should have been at the 22,5 km mark.

Data from the Strava app showed Ben Enowitz ran only 39,65 km at the 2026 Modesto Marathon.

Enowitz crossed the finish line first with a time of 2 hours 20 minutes 10 seconds. However, data from the Strava app revealed he had only run 39,65 km, falling short of the standard marathon distance of 42,195 km by approximately 2,4 km. Initially, Enowitz thought the organizers had designed a shorter course. Upon returning to his hotel, he discovered his results had been canceled.

Had he run the correct course, Enowitz would have likely completed the race in about 2 hours 30 minutes, an achievement that would have almost certainly secured him a spot in next year's Boston Marathon.

However, the championship title was awarded to the second-place finisher, Lupe Palalia from San Jose, with a time of 2 hours 35 minutes 49 seconds. Even if Enowitz had taken an additional 15 minutes to complete the remaining 2,54 km, he could have still won. Nevertheless, the organizers only recognized results for athletes who completed the full distance.

According to Canadian Running Magazine, Enowitz requested his results be reinstated. The organizers, however, only refunded his registration fee and invited him to participate in the 2027 event.

This is not the first time the Modesto Marathon has experienced course coordination issues. In 2022, CJ Albertson was disqualified after taking a wrong turn due to a police escort, which added about 400 meters to his run. After an appeal, Albertson's championship was reinstated because he had run beyond the required distance.

Before 2024, local police handled course guidance for the race. To reduce costs, organizers transitioned to using volunteers. The 2025 event proceeded smoothly, but similar issues recurred in 2026.

Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat were all affected by the incident at the 2026 US half marathon championships on 1/3. *Photo: Instagram / jesstonn*

A similar incident occurred at the US half marathon championships earlier this month when the lead group in the women's half marathon national championship was misdirected with about 1,6 km remaining. As a result, three athletes, Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat, did not finish on the podium and lost their spots on the national team for the 2026 World Road Running Championships.

Following this, World Athletics had to implement a special measure: allowing the US team to register seven athletes (instead of four) for this event at the championships held in Copenhagen in september. However, only four individuals' results would count towards medals, while the three affected athletes would compete in a non-scoring capacity, receiving no prizes but still earning world ranking points.

Canadian Running Magazine notes that for leading runners, route identification is not a priority. They often place full trust in the guide personnel, who are responsible for ensuring accurate directions. While athletes may study the course beforehand, remembering every turn in detail is challenging, especially for first-time participants.

Hong Duy (according to Canadian Running Magazine)