One stride. That’s all that separated triumph from heartbreak at the LA Marathon. Just days after the US Half Marathon debacle, when Jess McClain’s commanding lead vanished after a guide vehicle took the frontrunners off course, the chaos repeated. But this time it was Kenya’s Michael Kimani Kamau who faced the trouble.

Despite Kamau leading the charge going into the final stretch, Nathan Martin edged him out by 0.01 seconds. A high school track and cross-country coach, Martin showed his resilience as he came back from meters behind to surge beyond an exhausted Kamau at the line. 

While it may be one of the most dramatic and closest finishes in marathon history, things could have gone another way. The video, posted by a fan on social media, showed Kamau well in the lead at mile 26. And with 400m left, Nathan Martin was likely to settle for a second-place finish, but then a moment of chaos unfolded.

A fan, who was running ahead of Kamau, impeded his way as she ran to his left. The Kenyan proceeded to switch lanes and followed a guide motorcycle exiting the LA Marathon course. That’s because he believed he still needed to follow the bike as it led him down the wrong path.

However, fans and cyclists waiting at the fork stopped him and warned him before he went too far. But it was too late as that U-turn and subsequent recovery hurt Michael Kimani Kamau with only 400m left.

It echoes what happened to Jess McClain, Ednah Kurgat, and Emma Grace Hurley less than a week ago at the US Half Marathon Championship. The trio was the lead pack and on track for a podium finish, but a guide vehicle took them well off course.

By the time they recovered, all three women dropped well down the pack to finish 9th, 11th, and 12th, respectively. Kamau was somewhat lucky in that regard, as he still finished with a podium finish, albeit less than one hundredth of a second behind Martin.

UTAF announces two podiums for the US Half Marathon Championship

However, in the aftermath of the incident at the US Half Marathon Championship in Atlanta, the USA Track & Field (USATF) has announced a solution. They’ve revealed that they are going to name two podiums; one containing the original one, including Molly Born, and a new one with Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat all making the podium.

McClain will be named joint first alongside Born, while Hurley and Kurgat are listed as co-second place alongside Carrie Ellwood. Not only that, the trio will get “USATF Road Running Circuit points” as well, with McClain earning 15 while Hurley and Kurgat will get 11.

This comes on the back of Atlanta Track and Field’s pledge to provide McClain, Hurley and Kurgat with the prize money alongside the original three. Not only that, the USATF confirmed that they are looking to bring changes and are taking steps.

“We cannot undo what happened on March 1,” reads the statement. “What we can do is our best to make sure nothing like it ever happens again. Prior to our next national championship event, we will outline specific steps our officials and delegates will take prior to the start of each race.”

Whether USATF’s changes will truly matter is something only time will tell.