Luton Marathon

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  • ....but surely not as gutted as you'd be if you slipped and broke your ankle Laura and then couldn't even walk. I absolutely hope it is something to do with insurance/legal and plain sensible reasons for cancelling.....I want responsible people organising my races...people who can make TOUGH decisions about whether the weather is suitable. The organisers must be truly gutted, lots of time and effort goes into planning a race, let alone 2 races like this one. Good call organisers. Bravo. I hope you still plan a 2011 event.
  • Kipperonabike - we can all think through the logic etc but please allow me to be gutted without any assumption of blame etc. I am gutted. full stop, what ever the reasons.
  • The entry form states: "4) we will do so at our own risk and agree not to hold the organisers responsible in any way for any injury or loss resulting from our participation in the event.."

     My point being that there should be no legal liability on the organisers, there is a danger in all sport and if the organisers state on the morning thats its very icy in parts then we as responsible adults should be able to make the decision whether or not to run and not a lawyer.

    I saw a guy get seriously injured at the MK half earlier this year when he ran into a slower runner and it had nothing to do with the weather or ice.

  • . as an organiser it is a heck of a call to cancel.. BUT  you have to think of people coming from afar and having hotel reservations to cancel without incurring a cost. Also the thought of someone getting badly injured or even worse and a claim going in.They do not dot his lightly I can assure you. I just hope they reimburse everyone although no doubt it will say something to the contrary on the paperwork.......... When things go wrong is the time that companies etc make a name if they sort things quickly......and expediently

    i do feel for you though.... but keep positive as they say

  • Right, I need another marathon to do before the end of the year, have commited to do at least one a year and Luton was it due to injury earlier in year. DOn't want this to be the first year since 2003 that I haven't run one, was to be number 10 for me. Really don't want to treck over to Liverpool on New Years Eve and haven't the dosh to go abroad, anyone know of anything?
  • Not an organisor of this event though.... thought I had better say that.....
  • Sorry Laura, I'm disappointed too. Its not any sort of target run for me so I guess thats why I'm not 'full-on-gutted' too (and I also know I'm nowhere near PB fitness either).

  • We appreciate that this will come as a great disappointment to all of you, but after much deliberation we have decided that we cannot allow the Luton Marathon to take place this year.

    Having made a thorough risk assessment and sought the advice of the Safety Advisory Group, we have come to the conclusion that conditions are too dangerous to run. We have also taken into account the difficulties that many of you would have had to endure in trying to get here in the first place. Knowing that many of you need to make travel and accommodation arrangements has prompted us to move our decision forward.

    This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, as a huge amount of work has been put in to get the event this far. The Luton Marathon is a labour of love for us, and we have all invested our time and effort (and our annual leave) into the organisation. The only reward that we seek is to provide an enjoyable safe race. And we aren’t able to do that.

    Your personal safety and wellbeing has and always will be our primary concern, and whilst we understand that you might be frustrated, we hope you understand why we have had to make this very difficult choice.

    Please could all of you who have already received your timing chip return it as soon as possible.

    Please check the website soon for further news.

    The Luton Marathon Team.

  • Laura - Bournemouth Track Marathon 18th December? Bit of a treck for you, though not so likely to be cancelled - you need a 'counter' to count your laps for you. (edit - my son can count for you too)
  • "Safety Advisory Group". I wonder how many cross countries they have run ?
  • Oh my god, a track marathon, that might finish me off - will look into it though- thanks Kipper.

    Weather here in Sheffield is so sunny and clear today, as forecasted, I can't believe conditions are going to be that bad on Sunday, things are supposed to clear up in next 48 hours and all evidence points to that happening.

    Appreciate i am a bit narked and dissapointed here at the moment but am also kind of annoyed about the immediate ref above to us sending back the chip asap, of course i will do this as a matter of course but if this to facilitate a quick refund? if so excellent but it doesn't say that and just feels a bit pants ;( 

  • This news would have been a lot easier to take if it had come when the organisers said they would assess the situation on Saturday. 48 hours is a LONG time in terms of weather conditions so why did the organisers not wait until Saturday to see if the course had cleared?

     I appreciate all the arguments about people getting there/hotel reservations etc. but at the end of the day it is up to those people whether they take a gamble or not cancelling their hotel. For all we know the course could clear within the next 24 hours.

  • Thank you Dave.

    Right, I'm with you Laura, I'd like do another before the end of the year but Bournmouth is too far and I plan on being extremely unfit on new years eve. Any others?

  • If anyone wants to take their frustration out on a race course, the Milton Keynes Park  run is definately on tomorrow (different Safety Advisory Group?).  I had a confirmation email from the organisers.. 

  • just found 2, Lisbon and Pisa image
  • Oh well. Not devastated as still getting over my cold. Anyone fancy joining me for a nice XC run in Richmond Park on Sunday? (Say midday).

    I agree with the organisers on their decision. This would be a mass participation race on roads instead of a cross country. Trail shoes would probably be appropriate given the likelihood of ice but unpopular given surface and probably not available to everyone. Slipping injuries would have been highly likely and a claim would have been certain. Also, people travelling from far can hopefully cancel arrangements and not waste money as they would otherwise have done for a last moment cancellation.

  • Very disappointed, I was hoping to try for a mara PB and had trained hard completing Beachy Head and 5 other 20 mile runs as prep! image  Have to try and keep the fitness going now into the new year and enter some more races in the lead up to London.

    Am suprised that they couldnt have waited until Saturday afternnoon to make final decision too...after all it will be 5degrees .

  • I live about 15 miles from Luton. The forecast for my local area is for snow on both Saturday and Sunday. Yes, your local areas may be getting better but it looks like we are going to get what most of the country has already had.

    Councils are not going to bust a gut to grit and salt roads in the early hours of Sunday morning. Driving to the start could be very very dangerous.

    They may include statements about "running at your own risk" but that type of statement is not worth the paper its written on. Yes, if you trip over your own shoe lace but no if the course is not "fit for purpose". Its a mass organised event, they cannot wash their hands of their responsibility to the people taking part and if the course is expected to covered in snow or icy then they have to be responsible.

    A tough call and I am as disappointed as the rest of you but not surprised. It was going to be my 19th marathon of the year. The weather is always a big risk with regards to winter marathons/running.

    Better to know sooner than later.

  • Agree with Sean - at least we know it advance...I dont know about anyone else but the uncertainty of it all this week has been worse than the flipping training! Must of been a tough decision for the organisers.

     I was running this for a friend who has Hodgkins Lymphoma so I have a lot of sponsor money riding on this run.

     I am going to do 3 laps of Richmond Park instead on Sunday - think its about 23 miles altogether so if anyone fancies joining me I will be there at Richmond Hill Gate at 10am. Im probably not as fast as the rest of you - so not expecting anyone to run at my snails pace of 11.5 minute miles - but knowing there are other Lutoners in the Park is good!

     Good luck everyone with whatever you decide to do on Sunday. I will be at VLM so maybe see you there!

    x

  • agree with sean too.

    have fun on sunday in richmond shell7. i will be doing a 24 miler round central london bright and early in the morning about 8am so will be thinking of all you lot too!

    see you at VLM too as i will be there also

  • I think if the organisers were advised that they personally or their running club could be liable for any injuries because there is a risk of ice on Sunday then they should cancel it. Its not worth the personal risk or risk to the running club.

    I think we all realise that the organisers put a lot of effort and dedication into the race and its a very difficult decision which was probably taken out of their hands by the "Safety Advisory Group".

    My question is at what point the liability stops ? Should the "for profit" organisers of the MK Half been sued for this: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/ratingsall.asp?en=43443&year=2008&ugn=690&sp=&v=3 ?

    On the flip side if the snow melts on Saturday and the course is perfectly clear on Sunday are the organisers liable to refund entry fees and other associated expenses, notwithstanding the terms about cancellation on the application form ?

    I can see the course from my living room window, the road from Streatley to Sundon is clear and regularly gritted as its very busy. Some of the paths do have ice on them. However all the forecasts I look at (http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/2577?area=LU4) indicate that it will not drop below freezing on Saturday night, so any gritting could take place on Saturday and be ok for Sunday. Obviously this is all subject to change, but at the moment it looks like if the course was gritted on Saturday it would be ok for Sunday.

    Unless the organisers pull a rabbit out of the hat and reorganise for next week or something then I guess we just have to get used to not running a Luton Marathon this year.
  • Completely gutted but c'est la vie. image

    I'm committed to running one last marathon this year for my 12 marathon challenge so I'm planning to run from home near Watford into Central London - either this Sunday or next weekend.

    It's a run I've done a couple of times before but I just need to add a 5 mile loop around the city to make it up to the full 26.2 so all is not lost.

  • Looks like I am going to have to do Liverpool on New Years eve, not what I wanted to be doing but.......
  • see you ar liverpool laura! im doing the double new years eve ans new years day. hope to see you there!

     good luck jeff, might see you round london then!

  • I'm just "negotiating" on the Liver Bird marathon... watch this space
  • negotiating with the family about being in liverpool on new years maybe?????

    i got my way through pleading heavily!!!

  • i will be more gutted about being in Liverpool on NYE on my todd!
  • The organisers would not have taken this lightly - it takes a lot to put races on esp a marathon.  Just because its clearing outside your door it isn't everywhere else.

    I'm not far from Luton and we still have several inches of ICE and if its anything like last year it took a few weeks to bugger off.

  • Tired Legs - we do all understand this would not have been taken lightly and that locations are different but at the same time we need to be able to share our disappointment, that is all people are doing on here, its only natural when you have been working towards something.

    Can't tell you how hacked off i was when Budapest got cancelled a few years ago a few days before, now that was an expensive trip - we still went though, and drank a bit more.image

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