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Rotary Shakespeare Marathon
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leaving aside the whole half/full debate for a moment, I have a few other thoughts on the run today
1) lack of signs in the car park, I spent ages looking for the changing rooms and bag drop, ended up soaked and freezing before I even started
2) PA system at the start - it wasn't clear enough to be heard to a significant number of runners.
3) at the end of the short loop just before the finish, there was a really narrow gap to get through, brought me to a standstill for about 10-15 seconds while I waited for others to go through. It was hard enough keeping going at that point, yet alone having to get going again.
4) didn't see any food options at the end, other than a banana. Not such a big deal after a half, but had we run the full, would have definitely been needed.
5) taking an hour to get out of the car park - not really acceptable. I had to sit in the pub waiting while it cleared
Im not agreeing or disagreeing with the Stratford organisers decision clearly it was difficult and they were probably damned if they did or damned if they didnt let it go ahead.
Safety has to be the first consideration. Not just for the athletes but for the marshals, medical staff, timekeepers, officials etc etc.
I've read some of the comments and there is a lot of anger today. That wad my first reaction and I was 150 miles away.
I can't comment about the conditions on the course.
But I do know from various sources that this marathon takes every aspect very seriously.
I am certain the organisers will NOT have taken this decision lightly or easily.
Not a call I would want to make.
Many of you May not like today's decision but nobody died today in this race. Coroners courts are scary places to give evidence.
I can sympathize with everyone. Organisers and athletes
I never said I was a pro I'm 50 years old and had just done a 120 mile bike 5th fastest
it's not about ability my friend it's about the taking part.
I am only miffed with the disregard for all those who trained for a marathon only to have the rug pulled because it was cold and wet..
Nuff said and well done at Abu Dhabi
Thanks, I am just angry and sad for my family.. who were using the race to qualify for a place in the London marathon 2013.
BTW, my one son came in 8 mins behind the winner and my other 10.. they are both strong in the second phase and were looking for a win... so you can understand the upset, they have a season of races planned, so finding, or even fitting in another marathon is impossible.
Mark.
just read elsewhere that the full was cancelled due to St Johns not being prepared to support it. Anybody confirm or deny?
And is it a legal requirement to have that kind of medical cover for an event such as this?
It is a legal requirement! I doubt this is true though as they were present!
I think the "big boys" didn't fancy hanging around.
The time limit on the marathon is 6 hours; having runners out there for 5:59 would have been potentially dangerous.
I'm sure plenty of us have been out in worse conditions for longer; that really isn't the point. Races like Stratford attract a lot of 'slow people' and 'first timers' who may not be as prepared as the fast or old stagers (I give you the large number of people with their numbers on their backs, wearing ipods or both)
There were several people behind me (I jogged round with Mrs CH in 2:30) who were wearing vests and shorts; they were in enough trouble on 1 lap. Yes, they were under-prepared, naive, stupid even, but the race director has a duty of care to them too.
Yes, if it was your 'a' race is would be totally galling to have your big chance spoiled and you have my sympathies (and personally, I'm of the opinion that two laps would've been fine for the majority of runners; we're all adults and can make our own minds up)...but we've just had a death in a marathon run in ideal conditions, so I can see why the organisers decided to play it safe.
Are we now going to play just 45 minutes in a football match after the footballer Fabrice Muamba had heart problems then.
80% of marathons attract less able novice runners, we can't run our lives for everyone else... we are already living in a nanny state ffs.
i ve been in races where people have commented on the organisation good and bad. yes the elfin safety brigade etc can be critisised, and yes the car park could have been better. etc etc
But organisers have to make a call , thats what they do!
Reading everyone's comments have been very informative.
Maybe a better Idea would have been to suggest runners who find the going tough would get a 1/2 marathon result if they decided enough was enough... leaving it for the fit and healthy, well trained runners to make up there own mind also.
That's what they generally do at Stratford and it would've worked just fine for me; I'd've probably only done the half anyway as Mrs CH would've had to hang round in the cold and the rain for me for an hour + after she finished the half if I'd done the mara. It wasn't anything other than a training run for me and I can run longer tomorrow, so it really didn't matter.
As I say, a real shame for those whose 'a' race it was, but I can see why the organisers pulled it.
As someone said earlier, knowing what the weather was going to be doing, an informed decision could have been made on Saturday.
On other organisational issues, I was annoyed that I couldn't find the changing facilities. Where were they?!
I know nothing about the events today at Stratford, but I do know Manchester and Milton Keynes were both run in truly awful conditions. I ran Manchester; the course was badly waterlogged in many places, but we got round.
More pertinently, 2,500 of the 7,000 entrants chose not to take part. They made their own informed decision, and good luck to them. I chose to run, and good luck to me. Unless part of the marathon course was badly flooded (which it may have been) people should have been allowed to make their own decision.
I feel very sorry for anyone who planned this as their A race for the season. That was very nearly me.
anybody mind if i pose a running question on this weather forum?
was just wondering how other people dealt with the short sharp downhill section between miles 9 and 10.
I sprinted down, and must have overtaken about 20-30 people, who all appeared to be jogging down at a steady pace not too dissimilar to the pace they had climbed the hill.
personally, i find it easier to run down faster than to apply the brakes, and hammer the quads.
i was in a pretty big minority though, from what I saw, so am I doing it wrong, or is everyone else missing a trick?
The marshals were great in good spirits. And I do see why people are annoyed e decision wasn't made earlier I think the best thing to do was to as someone said change the time limit to just send the faster runners out on the mara.
Cassie
As a marathon runner myself, I know how disappointing this must have been. Consequently, I'd like to make this offer to all affected by yesterday's decision. If you would like to share the message on facebook, etc then please do. Thank you for your time, and for the small "plug".
#################
To all entrants in the 2012 Shakespeare Marathon:
As a consolation for yesterday's events, we're offering HALF-PRICE entries for the Kent Roadrunner Marathon on 4th June to all affected runners *. Offer expires 23:59 on Friday 4th May.
Please email the Race Director at: info@kentroadrunner.com
(* - subject to our race limit of 250 runners)
Ian J Berry
Race Director, Kent Roadrunner Marathon
http://www.kentroadrunner.com
##################
I'm in the same boat here (pretty apt considering the weather but I digress), I had planned for this race to get GFA for London and to be honest the weather on the morning kicked that idea into touch. I didn't know the marathon was cancelled until my dad told me after I crossed the finish line - I'd ditched the idea of a second lap myself after running along the Greenway.
Working for an insurance company I know why they cancelled the full marathon, they reviewed the risks to the competitors and decided that they were not possible to control, so they made the decision to cancel it. If it was me that somebody was going to sue if it all went wrong, which it clearly could have along the Greenway or with hypothermia (the run at your own risk stuff means absolutely nothing legally) or any other number of things, then I would have made the same decision. It may be disappointing to think that the ambulance chasing lawyers of this world contribute so much to such decisions but a broken ankle would have been £15000 to the event. Insurers would pick that up but then costs would increase the following year.
Worth remembering that the costs to the Rotary Club were exactly the same as everything would have been paid for. Any extra money that they do make will be going to charity. All the people there supporting the race were volunteers. This is not some cash cow where they are trying to get rich on the proceeds, this is people giving up their time to provide a great running event and at the same time, keep the participants safe.
I just think a little perspective ought to be given to the whole circumstances when the understandable disappointment has settled.
The pre-race announcements were terrible- I heard bits of the usual pre-race time filling when they should have just been repeating that the Full Marathon was cancelled- I heard rumours in the crowd, but only heard it officially at the gun.-
I would have liked the chance to go for the full, but doing the second lap with feet soaked from the first would have been icky.
We weren't the only people out there on such a nasty day.- Each water station had people standing mostly still, handing out cold water.- The full marathon would have doubled the time they would be out, which would not have been fair, Likewise for the marshalls, ( who were great)... - The greenway makes it pretty impossible to have a sweeper coach, so it would have been hard to get to anyone struggling.
( I want to do a summer one now, but I dont think I can deal with a 20 ish lap race )-: