THEY shed blood, sweat and tears to compete in the inaugural Scottish Half Marathon.

But it turns out the 2,500 people who ran September's race from Meadowmill in East Lothian to Musselburgh in Edinburgh really did go the distance - after organisers admitted the course was too long.

Following complaints from entrants, many of whom wear specialist GPS watches that calculate their pace and distance, the course was re-measured earlier this month. It was found to have exceeded the standard 13.1 mile half marathon distance by 320 yards - about 0.18 of a mile (292.8 metres).

Race director Neil Kilgour, who ­apologised to competitors, said the course had been measured by an AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) accredited course measurer before the race.

However, it was later re-measured by a second AIMS-accredited course measurer, who found the 2014 event had been set up in line with the original ­pre-race measurements - but errors in calculations meant the route had been erroneously extended.