Passing freight train foils Pennsylvania marathon runners

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ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A relatively favorable marathon course turned into a nightmare for 2017 Boston Marathon hopefuls Sunday when a Norfolk Southern freight train got in the way.

The train held up runners for nine or 10 minutes, leaving some of them infuriated and confounding race organizers who thought they had assurances from Norfolk Southern that no trains would come through, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

Marathon organizers said they gathered information from affected runners and shared it with the Boston Athletic Association.

But the association said Wednesday it cannot accept any adjusted race times. Only the official times recorded Sunday will count for determining which participants qualified for the Boston Marathon.

“You put in so much time, money and training and you put your body through a lot, especially with this summer we had, and to just watch it tick away,” runner Charlie Young said to Lehigh Valley Live. “I don’t know how to explain, it is just totally demoralizing.”

Several race participants told the website that some runners tried to jump over the train ties between freight cars. A Norfolk Southern spokesperson scolded those who did that and said the company is investigating why the train showed up when it did.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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