Oh, the insanity.
Oh, the insanity.
Into the Flats...haha, too good! According to the article, 10 km is 6.1 miles. Oh my. This one is like a Detroit Turkey Trot 10 km fiasco of a while back. But an extra 2.7 miles...this one takes the cake.
In talking with some of the top 10 runners, they felt they ran about .8 miles long. One runner told me he hit the 2 mile mark around 9:53 then about 19:50 at the 3rd mile. About 200 runner behind them might have run 2 mile plus long.
I just happened to be in town today so I went down and watched the race for a while. While the 10k runners were still out on the course, the guy at the finish line announced that the 10k runners were "just under course record pace" which would have had the elite men finishing in under 27:20, but then all the Kenyans didn't start rolling in until 32:00 or so. I thought that was really strange even then, and then at about 40:00 the first three women came through, all of whom were white and were wearing the standard 10k race numbers (the elite runners in this race had race numbers that were adifferent color then the "regular" people) and then two minutes later all the Kenyan women come flying in and it was just like, how could these other women beat these Kenyans who were running like, well, Kenyans? I knew right away something had gone wrong on the course and I'm glad that it's come out already.
I hear bad stuff about the Cleveland Marathon (and related events) every year. I ran the marathon last year and was disappointed by the lack of traffic control by the police and the general lack of spectators, but it was okay overall. I've got an affinity for Cleveland and enjoyed the two years I lived there, but what happened today is pretty absurd. This race will die if something is not done. I was plugged into the Cleveland running community really well over the past couple of years and did not hear much praise for the marathon. The race organizers have got a lot of work to do. Communication problems seem to be all too prevalent among the parties involved in the marathon expo and those involved in organizing the various races. This event will die if something is not done quickly. Next year had better be a different story. I certainly wouldn't consider running it again after what happened today.
I feel bad for the race director. You can work your butt off and then pay police to be out on the course and they turn the runners the wrong way.
I also feel bad for all of the 10k runners...as who knows who would have won if they ran only 10km.
Good thing the marathoners didn't run an extra mile or two.
The race has been an excellent race over 30 years. Not too many races have been around as long in Ohio.
The cops should be directing traffic not the runners, the race volunteers who know the course should direct the runners.
Next year's will be worse, sadly. The website is already advertising the 2008 Marathon to be long...26.3 mile party!
I kid you not.
You probably know this, but the 26.3 mile party thing refers to the party after the race, hence the extra .1 mile.
I ran the half and was pretty pleased, though I'm no elite. And if I were, I'd be pretty hacked off. A prestigious event having runners go the wrong way is ridiculous! A race with actual prize money would seem to be the last race to make such a mistake.
I ran the marathon back in 2001, and it was a well-managed race.
I have run this race a number of times. I can tell you they do an excellent job. Sad to see a few individuals make a mistake which cost hundreds to get off course. If you have ever directed a race you know you are as good as your workers.
I hope you look at all of the good in this event and pray to god it doesn't effect the overall good this race has done for the community.