KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Add Kansas City to the list of communities with marathon woes this year.

Organizers of the Kansas City marathon said the race runners completed Saturday was about four-tenths of a mile short of the standard 26.2 miles because of a mix-up involving a loop in front of Liberty Memorial, the nation's largest World War I monument.

The mistake comes after Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon was inadvertently set a mile too long in June. And two freight trains disrupted the Quad Cities Marathon on Sunday, prompting a race organizer to drive a pace truck into the path of an approaching locomotive.

The Boston Athletic Association told KMBC's Maria Antonia that in all, they are trying to solve mishaps with four different races throughout the country this year -- all with runners trying to qualify for next April's Boston Marathon.

In Kansas City, the problem apparently started when the officials leading the race decided not to turn into the Liberty Memorial, "thinking the gates were locked and we were not allowed in there," said Kevin Wicker, director of special events and sales at the Sports Commission in Kansas City.

Steve Berkheiser, Liberty Memorial executive director, said he was not notified that the memorial was on the route, although officials there were prepared to let the runners in.

Runners who thought the race qualified them for the Boston Marathon were left wondering.

"If this course is noncertified, that would be very disappointing," said Todd Hildreth, 42, of Lee's Summit, who said he was eager to enter the Boston race after finishing the Kansas City run in just under the time needed to qualify.

Some runners complained about organizational problems at the race, which has been canceled twice in the past five years after losing its primary sponsors. This year, the event was called the Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon, named for the sponsor that helped fund the $150,000-plus event.

Wicker vowed the memorial would be part of next year's marathon.

"We're working so that will never happen again," he said.