Derby County Community Trust wish to update 2026 Derby 10K runners on the review that has taken place in light of feedback that the course was short.

UK Athletics requires courses to be measured according to UKA standards, which are based on World Athletics procedures, by an accredited UK course measurer. The 10K course for 2026 was altered due to the flood defence work taking place in the city centre and was therefore required to have an official re-measure. This was taken by a member of the Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM) on 4^th March.

Following the re-measure, it was stipulated that the start and finish line should be altered from its previous position to ensure the course measured an accurate 10KM. 

We became aware that there was an issue after receiving feedback from runners whose GPS devices showed the course as short, which triggered an immediate review. After checking numerous Strava routes it was confirmed that the course was set up and run as per AUKCM instruction which therefore led to an official measurement review which took place on 17^th March.

This review confirmed that the original official measurement taken by AUKCM contained an error.

In a statement, AUKCM said: “Following the Derby 10K on Sunday 15 March 2026, concerns were raised regarding the course distance. AUKCM carried out a verification measurement on 17 March, which confirmed the course, as run, was approximately 400 metres short. AUKCM acknowledges the error and the impact on runners’ results.”

Derby County Community Trust, as race organisers, value AUKCM as a trusted and long‑standing partner, and we appreciate their willingness to address the issue openly. We recognise that mistakes can occur in any large‑scale event and we are grateful for AUKCM’s commitment to working with us on corrective actions to ensure continued accuracy and integrity.

We would also like to acknowledge that our graphic of the course map suggests the runners should have turned around at Ascot Drive, however this is an error on the graphic. The turning point has always been the traffic lights at Pacific Way and this is what had been measured and subsequently, was run on the day. We apologise for the confusion caused by this but can assure runners that it was not a contributor to the short course.

We share the disappointment that this year’s race didn’t meet our usual high standards and we are grateful for the understanding and feedback we’ve received from the running community.

Thank you for your patience and continued support. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Derby 10K next year.