AN investigation has found that the 10k course at this year’s Great Scottish Run was 150 metres short - invalidating two records set by Scottish runner Eilish McColgan.
The findings came after organisers of the Glasgow event were made aware of a discrepancy with the 10k course.
Paul Foster, chief executive of The Great Run Company, confirmed via a statement that the shortfall in distance “was wholly due to human error”, with an area of the course not laid out in line with previously agreed plans.
While the error had “a marginal knock on” to the half marathon, the course on the day was valid as it was “within tolerance”, he added.
However, he confirmed that the error invalidates Scottish middle and long-distance runner Eilish McColgan’s European and British 10k records that were believed to have been set on the day.
The 31-year-old crossed the finish line at Glasgow Green in 30 minutes and 18 seconds - shaving one second off her previous record.
Organisers have been in touch with the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres champion to offer their apologies.
A statement from Paul Foster read: “We will be reviewing our internal processes to ensure we cannot make this mistake again.
“We know we’ve let our customers down on this occasion. There are no excuses for this happening and we’re very sorry. We’ll be in touch with everyone who took part in the 10K offering a 10% discount on entry into the 2023 event.”
The event, which attracted some 20,000 runners doing a 10k and a half-marathon, was the first Great Scottish Run to take place in three years.
Previous races in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
