Three years of Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared void after the course – a substantial part of which goes through Altrincham – was found to be 380m too short.
The extraordinary blunder affects around 24,000 runners and included the 2013, 2014 and 2015 races.
The error was picked up in time for this year’s marathon and duly corrected, but UK Athletics will not now recognise times from the three previous years.
Those times include the course record set by 2014 winner Andi Jones, from Stockport Harriers, and Altrincham runner Dave Norman, who won the race in 2013.
A marathon is strictly 26 miles and 385 yards, but it is believed a calibration error was made when an official accredited by the Association of UK Course Measurers checked the course on a measuring bicycle in 2013.
In a statement, secretary Phil Holland said: “AUKCM regret the error in measurement and the effect it has on runners’ times.
“Significant errors in measurement are rare – our procedures are designed to find them at the reporting or checking stages.”
Xtra Mile Events, organisers of the marathon, blamed AUKCM. They said: “We all understand the anguish and huge disappointment this creates and want to assure our runners that we share the upset and emotion from the AUKCM news regarding the race distance.”
