Ultramarathon runners Camille Herron thought she had made history by breaking the 100-mile world record - only to find out it did not count. The 40-year-old crossed the line in a time of 12 hours, 41 minutes and 11 seconds at the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival in Henderson, NV nine months ago.
She thought she had shattered her own world record, but according to the USA Track & Field (USATF) Committee, it has been erased from history as the course was measured incorrectly. It has since been measured twice and sadly for Herron, the course was deemed to be 716 feet short when she thought she had set a blistering world record.
This was confirmed in a measuring report that indicates the course was measured on Oct. 25 by Brandon Wilson, a World Athletics measurer. “Due to overwhelming documentation, photos, first-hand accounts, and live video coverage of the race this fact is not in dispute, no runners in any contest ran certified courses on race-day,” Wilson said.
In an interview conducted by The Washington Post, Katz said that the organisation has been careful to gather all the facts and that the “ratification process takes a long time.” She said: "I hope I get another opportunity at the record, but I may not — you don’t know what the future holds.
“So this is highly impactful on me and my career. I mean, I’m 40 years old, you know. My time is now that I’m in the best shape of my life. And, I mean, these moments can be fleeting. I put my heart and soul into that performance, and it was such a big deal for the sport and the history of the sport that it needs to count.”
Herron may not have an opportunity to appeal the decision and stated the decision to scrub her time from the record books has been devastating. She added: “I set a world record in that race, and now they're telling us that we don't know whether the course was 100 miles or not.
“So it's been very upsetting to me the past several months. I've had races since then, and this has weighed heavy on me and impacted my performances.”
The American has forged an impressive career as an ultramarathon runner. An ultramarathon is any race longer than the traditional marathon length of 26.2 miles. Herron is the first and only athlete to win all three of the road IAU World Championships for 50K, 100K, and 24 Hours.
In April of this year, she became the youngest woman to reach 100,000 lifetime miles. She is the first and only woman to run under 13 hours for 100 miles, exceed 150km for 12 Hours, and to reach 270 km for 24 Hours.
