Oxford Half Marathon

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Comments

  • i think they are expecting 3000 runners, but it does seem a bit of a shambles.
  •  
    David N 173 wrote (see)
    However, living in Oxford for many years, they will also need the buy-in from the Universities who still think its 1711 and are able to pull all sort of archaic strings and levers to prevent things from happening.
    Speaking as the bursar of an Oxford college, I can only say that there are far too few archaic strings and levers for my liking!  If someone could provide me with a way to pull a few strings--archaic or otherwise--in the City Council planning department, I'd be very grateful!  image
     
  • I'm keeping this one as a definite maybe!

  • I'm a definite maybe too..........  well i think i am image

  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    hello LWJ !! are you doing this? see you there!!image
  • Am seriously thinking about it lou
  • Sooner or later we'll all have to get around to making a decision!!
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    well i AM doing it Puffin ..im just waiting for the sign thats its all cosha n ready to go! THEN i'll handover the cash- image
  • Another update from todays Oxford Mail:

    http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9078978.Oxford_s_half_marathon_will_go_ahead/

    In summary:

    Traffic management plan went in yesterday.
    UK Athletics say its not legit as no licence issued.
    Association of running clubs has issued a permit.
    Concern of clashes with other local 10ks.
    Likely to be a shortage of marshals.
    BMW say they are pleased to support it.

    Looks like the organisers seem to be treading on a lot of peoples toes!

    I don't suppose runners who compete in this will get blacklisted or anything silly?
  •  
    David N 173 wrote (see)
     I don't suppose runners who compete in this will get blacklisted or anything silly?
    Nah.......... but we might get eggs thrown at us on the course!
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    if its not legit then how can it go ahead-im confooooooooossseedddimage
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    LETS BE NIKE-- JUST DO IT !!
  • compo 1compo 1 ✭✭✭
    Oxford is a lovely city my cousan use to live there and I stayed at his house once and loved being down there
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    im an Oxford girl through n through born n bredimage its a beautiful city....
  • compo 1compo 1 ✭✭✭
    may come for the weekend and do the race
  • being local, i'd like to see a 1/2 marathon happening too.  I doubt you'll be blacklisted but perhaps if it doesn't have EA approval, race times may not count towards qualifying for other races- if that is ijmportant to you.
  • Sounds like the organisers have been a little naive to say the least! To be fair to them though I guess they would have always struggled to find a suitable date with no clashes. Other more established events elsewhere may not have had this problem with less events around a few years back.

    I do hope they can overcome this and pull marshalls in from somewhere. I think the area would benefit from an event like this and great for us locals especially if it can become a regular fixture.

  • compo 1compo 1 ✭✭✭
    if it goes ahead I will do it come down for the weekend
  • Oxfordshire Athletics Association (OAA) has said the event, which has not been staged since the 1990s, would clash with other races, while UK Athletics said it was “not legitimate” because it had not issued a licence.

    But the race’s directors . . . . . .   said the event had been given the go ahead by an alternative group . . . . .  The Association of Running Clubs (ARC) has issued a race permit, but organisers have not sought backing from the sport’s governing body, UK Athletics . . . . . John Temperton, from UK Athletics, added: “As far as we are concerned, it is not legitimate because they have gone to an alternative organisation which is not recognised... as a governing body.”

  • So the squabble seems to be between ARC and UKA. I have come across this before: there are a lot of races which get permits from the ARC and not UKA. This does not make them legitimate or otherwise: the UKA is not the legitimate govenring body: that would imply there is something set in law and there is not.

    There is a "recognised" heirarchy and at the top is the IAAF and this recognises the UKA within the UK and in turn the UKA recognises the various county athletics organsitions (so in this case the Oxfordshire AA) which in turn recognises the clubs.

    The ARC works outside this and is aimed at road running clubs. You can understand why there is a break off group as road running is a very different sport to track and field. To run on the roads you just need to meet up a few times a week, you barely need a club house, you certainly don't need a multi-million pound track. As far as I can see, the ARC basically provides the infrastructure for a club to run, so that is insurance for club members when at runnign nights and insurance for races when the organise a race (race permit). It is minimalistic, no need for a lot of paperwork etc and obviously fill sa gap in the market.

    For the vast majority of runners, ARC vs UKA is irrelevant. You will not get your time recorded on www.thepowerof10.info or on www.runbritain.com anbd if you want to qualify for the UKA champiopnships it needs to be in a UKA recognised race but that does not apply to most of us.

    I think it is a shame the situation has arose, and maybe the UKA needs to look at how it can appeal to pure road runing clubs and not stick with clubs who have a track and field history.

  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    image you are right PMJ...its a shame all the paperwork and redtape ruins things and the morale of a new event...like you say the ARC v UKA is a minor thing for most of us who like to run and take part in events...even if running for a club and wanting to rack up the points for your clubs table/league , there are plenty of other runs all year round where this can be the main priority if the runner wishes this to be their main aim........i for one hope this event does go ahead as i think it will be extremely popular due to its beautiful surroundings.....all new events have teething troubles and im sure this year there will be parts of it that can be improved upon next year, lets hope for the sake of some squabbling associations we will all get to turn up and have a good day !!image
  • At the speed i run/jog, the issue of ARC v UKA means diddly squat.

    I'm keen to take part.  As long as it goes ahead, safely, and there are enough runners to have banter/chat with on the run, I'll be happy.

    image

    PS - as long as there aren't too many hills image

  • Fido2DogsFido2Dogs ✭✭✭

    Indeed, it seems that some well-known and liked races run under ARC - e.g. from the Oakley 20 website....

    "ARC Race Permit No: 11/29 - Incorporates the Beds AAA 20 Mile Road Race Championship"

    And there will always be clashes. The Finstock and Longworth 10ks are both on the proposed date, but are pleasant country races rather than the (fairly) large city half-marathon that this looks to be. At first glance they seem different beasts and so perhaps the clash will not be such a big deal. Although if I were an organiser of either 10k, I  think I might have appreciated a heads-up a lot earlier so that the clash could have perhaps been avoided altogether, to be fair...

    I'm waiting to see what the council makes of the route and the traffic management plan. The Sussex marathon had to do a late route change because of council / traffic concerns, I remember...

    Will be interesting to see how this one works out. I don't have any personal interest in the affair either way image

  • Runners should hang on to their money until the event has official permission, fees are unlikely to be refunded under the entry terms and conditions if it is cancelled. If ARC can issue a permit for a large event before local authority and police permission has been saught it suggests they are naive as well. The organiser claimed he was seeking a UKA licence and then obviously realised he wouldn't get it. The Oxford Town and Gown 10K has a large local organising committee with back-up from a national charity and 20 years experience but it is still quite a difficult event to mount in busy Oxford.  If there is such a local committee for this event they have successfully remained invisible to date. The route has obvious traffic difficulties, especially where it passes close to the Nuffield and Churchill Hospitals and the Oxford Ambulance Station and where it crosses the Cowley and Iffley Roads. The latter is already bedevilled by major road works which will last until November. If there is a way of devising this route without bringing most of East Oxford to a standstill for much of the morning it would be good to hear it. Businesses and local communities require much preparatory groundwork to tolerate this sort of disruption with good will. If you want to race in Oxford you already have the 10K which is long established and follows a much more scenic route. There used to be a Half Marathon in Oxford (1988-93) which was well organised by local charities but it folded due to, er, traffic problems. 

  • loulabell wrote (see)
    ..i for one hope this event does go ahead as i think it will be extremely popular due to its beautiful surroundings.....
     
    Loulabell- I agree it would be nice to have a local 1/2 mara, but I'm not too sure i'd describe the route as scenic! The mile or so from Magdelen Bridge to St Aldates is pleasant enough with a lot of the colleges nearby but the back of Blackbird Leys, the Eastern bypass and the southern bypass aren't Oxford's best bits!  If you want a scenic Oxford race, do the town and Gown.
  • loulabellloulabell ✭✭✭
    i know oxford well enough to know where the dodgy parts are shadowfax, dont worry!! lol...and hey, B.Leys not THAT bad, on a good dayimage.........what i meant was its a beautiful city ,and people travelling to the event will get to visit and see what a lovely place it is if they go into the city centre and see the buildings etc......
  • Old Shadowfax wrote (see)
     but the back of Blackbird Leys, the Eastern bypass and the southern bypass aren't Oxford's best bits! 
    Only know Blackbird Leys by reputaiton: seesm the locals there "borrow" cars and leave them up near us at High Wycombe Junction 4 to watch films at the cinema.
  • PMJ- but how else could you get from BBL to High Wycombe?image

    Loulabell-  I agree the runners might be tempted back into the city centre which would be good for business, but I doubt they'll go from the finish what with all the roads closed from Kassam to the city.

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