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Cardiff Half-Marathon 2010
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anyone going to make the " I Ran the Cardiff Nearly Half Marathon" or "12.91 is the new 13.1" tee shirts, should make someone a fortune!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can they place two finishing lines next year, at this years distance and an official half marathon distance.
My first Half Marathon. So, technically, I've still yet to do a half marathon.
Sunday was my first 12.98 mile race - my office colleagues have been ribbing me all day, they've had the ups and downs of my training plan for 9 months, and it all ends likes this!
Like earlier writer, starting to see the funny side now. Sub 1:32 so well happy (even if it was more like a sub 1:33 in reality. I'm setting this as my PB knowing it will be an even bigger challenge to beat it, when I do get around to actually running a fully 13.1 miler!
The start was chaotic, I felt like a steeplchaser for the first couple of miles, street furniture, lamposts, on coming traffic all adding to the "challenge", and The Hayes was hysterical. Last time I experienced anything like that was early hours of s Sunday morning after a shedful of beer at Kiwis Nitespot.
Seriously though - quite dangerous and unexpected for a debutant like me. At least its an experience to learn from. Luckily I was quite close 1:30 start point (I ended up far too close to the start line than intended though - I was next to a chicken and a joker, honestly!
All in, quite anarchaic, but a great experience... and there's me saying beforehand I wouldn't be doing another Half after this one.. oh dear...
I thoroughly enjoyed this event, the course was excellent, and no big white cotton tshirt, the race was well supported. I will be back.
My only complaint is with runners themselves, why do you need to wearing mp3, spitting as they run, and being in the wrong pens at the start - isnt this down to runners themselves being honest on what they are capable of!!
for the record my garmin measured the course at 13.09.
if you dont like big half marathons with lots of crowds then there are plenty of smaller ones around just take a look.
This was a very quiet thread up till Monday. I suppose it's one of the few places we can go to vent our spleen.
The South Wales Echo has most of the front page taken up with this story, with the headline "Short Circuit". There's plenty of column inches inside to with a few posters on this thread being quoted in the article.
I have been enjoying all the reading and views expressed here and will be coming back here for a few more days still.
I feel I have taken part in an infamous event. "The Half Marathon that never was" and I was part of it. I'm sure I'll be telling this story to my grandkids, when I get them.
and me , it is one of most annoying things out on a busy course as you are so locked into you little world that you cannot hear people around you. The guy that spat and hit yes hit my shoe was wearing an mp3 player, when I tapped him on the shoulder to point out that he had spat on me he did not have the balls to say sorry.
in other races I have been tripped up by mp3 wearing runners.
If running a half that wasn't a half, over the barrage, through the parks, with the sun shining and the crowds cheering, was the worst thing that happened to you last week, surely that is still quite a good week....?
also, what Archy said
I would like to see mp3 players banned from races myself. It gets really annoying sometimes. The lack of awareness shown by some people I encounter along the route. Especially heavily congested races like this one.
I had one bloke clear his nose on me as I ran along side him. Lovely.
Have you seen that battery commercial on tv? They actually depict an elite athlete running better because he uses long life batteries in his mp3 player. Shameful.
@KittenKat I am celebrating thanks. I really had a great run and I am looking forward to my next event, whatever it may be - provided I get a pardon on that death squad thing that is
As for mp3 players, I don't really see the problem. There are inconsiderate people out there who wear them and inconsiderate people who don't wear them.
Back to the race, it seems they took on board the feedback from last year so let's hope they do so next year. I really like the course overall and with coloured starter pens and a slightly more thought out route I think it can be a great event.
why do some races ban mp3 players if there is not a problem?
then you still get numpties in these races that run with them , they are a problem believe me
Even had a mention on Radio 2 this morning on my way into work......
Its a no no in triathlon for safety reasons. I train with them (mp3) sometimes but never race with them I'd rather feel the atmosphere and be able to pass the odd comment to those running around me. Like on Sunday commenting to a chap next to me at mile 8 "Just think the winners are now finishing" and then seeing his blank expression, I then noticed he was wearing an mp3.
Amsterdam numbers had the runner's name on it, so (fairly) easy to spot men running under women's names.
I ran this on Sunday and was very surpised at my time (chip time of 1:32:57) considering I had done virtually no training for the previous month. I am normally quite good at predicting my times so when I came in sight of Lloyd George Avenue before coming back down the other way towards the finish line, I was genuinely quite shocked to see 1:28 or so on the official finish clock! Having travelled from Gosport to race this (combined with seeing my family), I had forgot my battery charger for my Garmin. I am genuinely quite good at judging my pace so indeed it did surprise me posting that time as I say.
I have a friend who managed to run sub 1:23 and was chatting to him at the end and he beat his PB by 6 minutes. He also had club members he bumped into and they were also telling stories of some massive PBs! At the time I just thought what a great PB course...being that it is very flat combined with the weather being good! Then my friend was saying he measured it as being short but I dismissed him at the time by saying all courses are officially marked and normally go longer if anything to make sure that they are in line with race regulations!
In work on Monday, I was talking to a colleague and recommending he do it in order for him to smash his PB next year...he also told me that a friend of his smashed his few years old PB by four minutes to get 1:16. At this point I said he DEFINATELY needs to register for it! It was lunchtime yesterday I was browsing the BBC news website and saw that the race was short and all the controversy with it! I couldn't believe it but with the stories of the PB's I had been hearing of and the initial (half) doubts over the course being short raised by my friend - everything seemed to make sense. As I say I also felt I never ran that fast myself. Quite ironic in that this is the only race I have not raced with a watch in for some time!
It is awful for those as others have said though about the elite runners not being able to get a London Marathon qualifying time and for all those first timers! As for the course being changed, I heard it was due to some scaffolding blocking the route in Penarth Marina? Would there be ramifications for this and who for if so? I remember I did a 10K in Cardiff a few summers ago (in 2008) and Penarth Marina was then the cause of a problem as well...in that the Barrage Gates were up for longer than expected and this delayed the start by 20/30 minutes!
Overall though it was a great course to do! I would say that anyway being that it goes through my home city and part of my home town! Anyone complaining about the huge number of people at the beginning though needs to expect this with a half marathon of this size!!! Hopefully there will not be the measurement problems again - I mean how could they do this again???!!! I think personally I would have been much more annoyed if I was in peak condition for this race.
Further to this, I heard a story recently of a race whereby a lot of runners had their ankle chips fall off.....so where does this one rate I wonder in terms of monumental blunders?!!! I like the idea of the I ran the Cardiff "nearly" half marathon mind! I feel like others part of something rather infamous in the running world!
On a more serious note, my club is holding the Gosport Half Marathon in mid November...here is a link to it. This is a PB course as well (very flat and fast) and this is the 3rd year of the (new route). I would recommend this to anyone who was looking for a time to qualify for London. Last year Serpentine Runners used the course as part of their club championship! Here is a link to the entry for it if anyone is interested!!!
http://www.gosportroadrunners.org.uk/
Forgetting about the issue of the course length, even though it is a major issue. Next weekend, it is the Great South Run; there will be 23,000 runners (Cardiff aspires to get 20,000).
Having run Cardiff this year and Portsmouth last year, I now have some thoughts. They are both coastal cities, so access can be a problem. This was my only criticism of Portsmouth as everyone seems to be leaving in the same direction.
Whilst Cardiff did start on a wide carriageway (only one side), it soon entered a park(after a trip to the shops) which meant you were on a path just 4 meters wide and single carriage roads. Portsmouth uses an 11 meter wide carriageway to start, and does not narrow until close to the end. I am afraid if Cardiff wants to expand this event, it needs to close roads. Portsmouth also uses colour coded waves to start to stop the problem we all had this last weekend. The GSR starts from a large grass area, unfortunately in Cardiff it seemed to want to showcase the bay area as a start/finish area even though the space was not there.
I am not trying to knock Cardiff here but offer constructive criticism, I am afraid it they wish to stage a big city event for both competitive runners and fun runners, then disruption is inevitable.
For some reason I can't edit my above post! Should have said that the Gosport Half Marathon is on 21st November and here is a direct link to the page;
http://www.gosportroadrunners.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=58
Im also doing the GSR now on Sunday CPJ48 - good luck!
And to think I started this thread with;
"Entered at last.
I hope the snags and snarls from last year are sorted!"
I'm going to start another one now:
"Bought a lottery ticket. I hope it's a winner unlike the last one"
Anyone fancy running it again this weekend?
WJH - I'm in for the Gosport Half and hoping to knock at least 13 seconds off my Bristol time (75:13) to get a Champs place for London. Any ideas whether Serpies are using it as a champs race again? I guess they'd have some pretty decent runners out. And isn't it the county champs race as well?
And any chance of some last-minute scaffolding on the sea front to keep any likely breeze at bay?
- Its crying out for a wave start system, its way too congested for the 1st few miles, especially through the park
- Better control of, access to and marking of the starting bays
- Running through town centre at the start was poorly marshalled, too much street furniture
- Marshalling in a number of places on the course was poor
- Water stops on both sides creates a bottle neck in the middle of the course if the route is narrow - the 1st water stop was way too narrow, could have done with being moved back a few yards to a wider spot
- Running past the finish line on the other side of the road and then having 300 yards or more to go is not much fun after nearly 13 miles
- Services beyond the finish were chaotic, difficult to see where to go next.
And thats all before finding out that it was'nt a half marathon at all
Still, I did enjoy myself, I got my fastest time this year (even if I add on the extra 180 yards) and no doubt I'll be back next year for another go
I assume everyone with feedback is completing the survey that the Race Organisers sent out. It's all well and good posting your views here, but unless they are given to the RO direct, you cannot expect anything to change.
Just a suggestion - not intended to flame