Cardiff Marathon - who cares?

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  • Thats good news for Bernado's
    we are grateful for their support
    I don't think anyone expected their insurance to cover anything
  • I echo Bern, that is good news that they support the marathon spirit and I don't think anyone would have expected them to cover it with insurance or anything, after all it is our own endeavour.

  • article in the echo tonight - barnados claiming the marathon isn't happening due to a lack of support, and problems with road closures. If they advertised it properly, with guaranteed entries to london rejects and a last chance for a good for age time, they'd have 5000+ no problems.
    cop out by them i'm afraid - get a professional organiser on board
  • oh yeah, a new course apparently for the 1/2
  • They will need a new course to cope with the 15,000 runners that could potentially be doing it!!! That's going to be a crush!! (double the number than in 2006).

    Also, the 1/2 this year will not have a stadium finish. :-(
  • Nicely noticed there Phil:)

    Even a numpty with half a brain can put 20,000 runners onto the streets of Cardiff within five years...

    ...all it requires is the political will / persuasion.
  • No stadium finish?
    That's almost as bad as saying there was going to be no marathon in the first place.
    What's the USP (unique selling point) going to be then, run Cardiff half and finish in....
  • 1200 is a good number for a marathon

    grrrrrrrrrr
  • If you look at the published number of runners over the years Barnardos have run the event, the marathon has increased year on year - until last year... now, I wonder why that was?


    ...could it possibly be because of the utter madness of a cut off time alienating the marathon field?

    I'll keep on saying it, charities do not understand road running events...
  • and the massed start
  • Edinburgh is the model to follow It is pushed

    The great Welsh run???

    Are there any big cities without a mara

    start at City Hall actually makes sense cos of wide streets

    Must be a stadium finish USP, I thought the stadium had an obligation to hold events as these as lottery money went into it

    I am running Reading half in a couple of weeks - interesting to see how they organise it in their stadium finish

  • Runner : Marathon pace : T- time
    Alan W? : 9mm : 2:00:00
    Bern : 9mm : 2:00:00
    Boffin : 9mm : 2:00:00
    Joe Peacock :
    STM : 8-9mm : 1:45:00
    Sue : 11mm : 2:30:00
    Sweetie : 11mm : 2:30:00
    Duck Girl : 10mm : 2:15:00
  • Been a few years since I've run Reading, but the stadium finish was ok (it was very wet and cold that year). I think it was the first year that they had run that, so it was a bit disorganised. Buses back to the start were useful as the stadium is away from the centre.
  • Bern - I did do a bit of research on European Capital cities and there are only a couple which don't have marathons.
    As far as I can ascertain the only ones that don't are some of the old Yugoslav and USSR states.
    If Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Greenland can have marathons in their Capitals I am sure Wales can manage it!!
  • Sam - I am assuming that question was aimed at me? Which Capitals don't have marathons?

    Chisinau, Moldova
    Kiev, Ukraine
    Minsk, Belarus
    Podgorica, Montenegro
    Riga, Latvia
    sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovinia
    Skopje, Macedonia,
    Vaduz, Liechtenstein

    Also couldn't find one for Andorra, Cyprus or San Marino.

    You can tell that I am an excellent procrastinator at work!!
  • Sweetie - excellent research there!

    Legitimately I don't think you could run a marathon in either Andorra or San Marino without running outside them.

    Cyprus, is there not a marathon stage race or something there?

    Wasn't there an article on a run in one of the former Yugoslavia states a few months ago in RW, or was I dreaming it?
  • Just clocked 1.42 for reading which was nice.
    Lots of road closures - lots of support - showed off reading nicely
    are you listening Cardiff? Its a Sunday - an event that brought business into Reading
  • Bern, couldn't agree more Reading did well at the weekend!!!

    I have to say I had my reservations about the military marshals but when the race started they were very good! (possibly best Ive seen yet)

    A lot of locals were out supporting and town was busy afterwards!!!!!!!
  • Just a thought -

    If the aim is partly a visible statement of interest in a Full Marathon, then you could always plot a lap round Bute & Pontcanna Parks of about 3 or 4 miles, which you run 4 or 3 times.

    Admittedly the repeated loops would not be very exciting. However, it does solve some of your logistic problems and keeps the whole thing quite visible - especially if you incorporate running down North Rd on each lap.

    It would also make it easier to engage with local media.

    WR
  • WR - thats a very good suggestion.

    What do the other arfnafer's think, could you tolerate laps?
  • Hi all

    Losing any marathon is a complete travesty

    But you can only be in one place at a time

    We completed Cardiff full Marathon in 2003 ? in 4.41...it was a unique experience

    We would just love to come back, but it used to start at something like 8 am i think

    And we take part in around 50 races a year

    what more can we do

    But we wish you all you marathoners well

    Mick n Phil
  • Mick n Phil - I did see you at Reading, I regret not coming over - you really are legends - have you a website
    glad you got a Cardiff mara medal for your collection,

    Wilde Rover, I actually love the idea of starting up the taff trail and leaving in Waves so that we all arrive around 10 mins after the start,

    I am doing Berlin two weeks earlier so for Cardiff I will not be able for a good time
    the "arfnarf" appeals to the rebel in me

    I dont like the words "you can't do"

    as I write there are only about 10 signed up anyway
  • Thinking about it, for the earliest starters, pontcanna fields would be pitch black at that time of the morning - and I have encountered Bute Park locked before 8am in the winter - so perhaps a 'no go' anyway.
    Pity, as it would resolve some of the logistical issues and my biggest concern coming down the Taff trail is that someone will get lost! Most of it is straightforward but there are a couple of ambiguous points - perhaps Boff and I can mark them out with tape/balloons the night before?!!

  • training for cardiff i went up the taff trail from cardiff to castell coch and I got lost a couple of times
  • Keeping the petition on top

    Mick n Phil, you can only do what you can do - and you are doing far more than most:)) For your own case, I see FLM's point - and it is rubbish! City marathons are not the property of the priviledged - the event must be open to all, several person long 'dragons' pose a far greater risk to all concerned than a runner pushing a wheelchair!

    Support is all anyone can ask:)

    Cardiff has not lost it's marathon, this year it has taken a novel form, next year will be a different story:)


    WR, there are those that like laps... personally I hate the things!!! - Having said that, I can see the point for ultras and the like 'cos your support crew can be in the one spot...

    However, the parks may well be shut so early in the morning added to that our presence may well interfere with the final course setting up of the Barnardos Half Marathon.

    If we were aiming to be in opposition to the Barnardos Half then that would be a perfect plan; but Barnardos are in support of our arfnarf and I certainly have no intention of hampering the work Barnardos are doing:)

    The route down the Taff Trail will have minimal, if any, impact on the Half marathon set up (certainly no impact on the race itself).

    Bern, you are correct - loosing the trail is easy (even for those of us who hve run it many times!!). We will need to organise some amount of marshalling for much of the route.

    Early days yet, but for the 9mm mile group and the 11mm group, both Sweetie and I know the route by heart, so will have no trouble navigating in the dark - Our groups will need to stick to pace or else we will arrive at the wrong time, so those two groups are OK.

    STM and Duck Girl are currently either side of these groups, so we will make arrangements so they don't get lost!!
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