Marathon course rewritten after a bridge fails inspection two weeks out
Organisers published a new 42.2km map overnight, cutting the riverfront and adding a loop through the exhibition grounds that runners have not trained on.
Engineers closed the old iron span after hairline cracks showed up in a routine check. There is no suggestion it would have failed on race day, officials said, but they would not take the chance with 28,000 people on it.
Elite fields were told in a 1 a.m. email. Several training groups spent Sunday cycling the new loop with bike lights. The hill at kilometre 35 is now a false flat that coaches had not marked.
The city promised extra water stations. What it cannot promise is that the record will stand. Course certification will have to be redone.
