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Fleetwood Marathon - Suitable for a First Timer?
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It's well known to all Garmin users (and perhaps less well known to other GPS tracking device users in general) that there is a margin of error in the distance measurement. GPS is not an exact science due to atmospheric conditions, signal strength changes etc. - heck, if you're running for 4+ hours even the turning of the earth itself over that time can add to calculation error.
Relax about it. Anyways, didn't you say you were doing another marathon soon anyway? (this weekend?). Surely you'll get the best of both
In defence of Garmins 12.8 miles is more than the usual possible error percentage. I have never run a race and been out by that much! I was not the only one to get that distance either. Maybe I was so fast the Garmin could not keep up.
The miles on the half were fairly accurate until the very end of the race suggesting that an error may be there.
It was a great run though.
I still found it fast despite the wind and sand. I ran with my buff completely covering my face and certainly had some giggles from supporters. It good training for the MdS.
That's interesting because that's exactly what I found - miles 1-10 were pretty much spot on (certainly well within the usual Garmin error), I don't remember seeing 11, but 12 was quite a bit out and when I saw the finish line I was gobsmacked as I thought I had another 0.3 miles to go. Surely if it was just the usual Garmin error then we would have been out consistently over the race rather than just at the end?
Still, I enjoyed the race - the wind certainly made it memorable!
All those lessons learning how to wear the buff in various styles paid off !
I was the same - went from beanie to full on balaclava after the seven mile turn into the wind. Like you said a few funny looks but far more comfortbale than running holding your t shirt over your face which I saw a lot a people doing.
HF,
I kind of freaked and just pulled it over my face. However I wear a Buff I always look untidy!
Funny thing is I am the same in a suit.
shortnslow,
That's three of us then. I'm not particularly worried though.
Load it on to Google Earth and see if you have gaps like I do.
theBorne, don't be such an idiot. How would I have known this marathon was short beforehand? And running an extra 1k would hardly have given me an accurate time in the results for the full distance, would it? If 16 metres short is acceptable by UKA, then ok. I'm not convinced the new course was measured though, & has a new certificate.
And whether I had another marathon planned is irrelevant. I was asking about the accuracy of THIS one.
Strange how the debate on the accuracy of this course wasn't in anybody's doubt until Soup reared his/her ugly and vindictive head............................................... and how everyone was so friendly until he'she appeared.
So to satisfy my own curiosity I calibrated my own bike and went out for a pedal around this course.
Now, with the short course prevention factor added in I should have got 46191.145 yards for this course.
The marathon distance is 46145 yards but we add the extra bit to make sure you don't run a short course.
The distance I got when I measured it was 46182 yards, so 9 yards shorter than I'd expected (0.01949%), which is well within the tolerances measurers allow.
The upshot of all this is the marathon was not short.
Brian Porter, grade 1 measurer.
I questioned the accuracy due to Garmins reading short on this thread, & not because of Soup.
Anyone taking part in this race has the right to question the accuracy, & request details re the certificate & who measured the new 2010 course.
Ron has confirmed the 16 metres that the marathon was short was legal & acceptable by UKA. Don't know about the 60 metres that the HM was short though?
That is good to know, Brian. Thanks for doing that.
Can you explain the procedure regarding the granting of an official certificate? As I understand it, there was an official certificate for the 2009 course but the 2010 route was different and therefore the certificate isn't applicable. So for the 2010 course to be certificated it would need to be re-measured by someone with your qualification. I guess that this wasn't done but you've proved that it was within a gnat's whisker.
Why wouldn't the organiser's have arranged an official measure and got a certificate?
Brian,
So, contrary to what you said originally posted you do "give a monkeys" about the course distance. It's good of you to take the trouble to cycler ound the course. That is something the official course measurer does not appear to have got round to.
However even a cursory glance at my posts onthe subject will reveal that i never suggested that the course was short.I merely pointed out that a change of course required an official re-measure and a new certificate, preferably before the event. As a course measurer yourself yo need to acknowledge that rather than just slinging insults in my direction.
Ron may have written to Bright Bimbler making claims about the accuracy of the course in a private capacity but he does not appear to have carried out a remeasurement and obtained a new certificate as required bythe rules. Neither he nor the organiser, Stephen Ashcroft, has bothered to come on here and explain their (lack of) action in this respect.
I guess they are
Five different people have posed a question in this forum as to when they will get their T-shirt.
Why doesn't someone from the marathon office come on and answer it?
Was just about to post on the same subject JIM!
I emailed Mr Ashcroft last week but he hasn't got back in touch, not the best PR really.
I'm not even that bothered about the T-shirt as i've got dozens of race ones, but it's the principle of the matter!
I actually think NoSoup makes some very good points on here. He/she is usually pretty spot on. (I heard he was someone called Roy from Preston Harriers with a 25 year grudge against Ron.
)
Though I've always found speaking to the organisers in person gets better results.
After I nearly ripped Ron's head off for abandoning a finish line, he never did it again!
And he says he's doing bottled water next time. If there is a next time. Though they needed bottles this time, & MORE WATER STATIONS & t-shirts & a race certificate, &.........
I did speak to Ron in person the afternoon before the race.
He described the course in detail and how he had arranged a "special treat" of jelly babies & Coke for the marathon runners at the turn. (Big deal! I had to ask for the latter when I got there.) Strangely, he forgot to mention there was no bottled water on the course or T-shirts for finishers. Perhaps it slipped his mind. Like Stephen, (it's good to see someone using their real names in these forums.) I've got literally hundreds of T-shirts. It's the principle that's important.
I'm becoming increasingly disillusioned with race organisers who fail to deliver on their promises. Fleetwood was the first of 3 consecutive marathons I've entered recently. In the other two, the Kielder Challenge last weekend advertised as "26 miles. Marathon distance" came in at 25.3 miles, while I'm still sitting at home now when I should be elsewhere, waiting for the Robin Hood race pack promised for September 6th to arrive!
It's not difficult to spot the common denominator in each of these 3 events. They are all controlled by organisations where maximisation of profit rather than runners' interests is the motivating factor.
Nice point and one I had not noticed before. All the marathons I have enjoyed the most have been organised by local clubs. Lesson learnt there I think!
I have a club organised 1/2 in a weeks time and am looking forward to it.
one good race I did last week was stainland 7 water stn where it was needed the most great support and even jelly babys before the last hill
On a full gels/electrolytes and proper hydration are a must. They can make the difference between trauma and fun.
The most popular are SiS gels, or nuun electrolyte. A bit of experiementation in training helps find the best and how often to use them. I can tell just over a mile after taking SiS that it is kicking in.
Biastai, I agree lack of hydration is trauma.
At Fleetwood this was the longest I had ever run in my life non stop. ( Had never run more than 13 miles before non stop as bad back) The lack of water stations was torture. I barely got a sip from the plastic cups anyway, but no water for the last 10 miles was horrendous. Never experienced dehydration like that before. It was utter bliss when a St John's fella went to find me water.
I still don't think Stephen or Ron are taking this seriously. I spoke to both Stephen & Ron about it again on Saturday, & Stephen reminded me he was driving round with water near the end of the course. This would have been great as a back-up. But NOT in place of no water for 10 miles. By then I'd suffered 2 hours of dehydration before getting some water some from St Johns. So it was a nice thought, but too little too late.