Having driven lead vehicles for several decades of Elite Racing events (Carlsbad, Barrios, RnR, North American Challenge, etc.) I have some thoughts on L.A. The approach to the lead vehicle exit should be fenced sufficiently to keep spectators away from the course and managed so that any non-competitors are removed. Lead vehicles should move to the exit side early enough that runners can see the full course including the finish line. The vehicle exit should be opened and closed immediately with a rope to keep runners on the course and let vehicles leave. Signs help, with an arrow pointing vehicles one way and runners the other. The exit should be managed by an experienced organizer or official, not a random volunteer or law enforcement officer. Their work is finished once the vehicles exit so they can move to another task like clearing the finish chute.
LetsRun.com co-founder Robert Johnson has written an article asking for ASICS LA Marathon officials to pay Kamau first place prize money.
https://www.letsrun.com/news/2...
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rojo wrote:
They also gave us this statement via spokesperson Meg Treat.
This morning, we became aware of a video circulating on social media of Michael Kimani Kamau going slightly off course as our lead vehicles made their pre-planned exit off the race course.
No protests were filed. The results of Sunday’s event are unchanged.
sheesh, how incompetent must you be to require a protest be filed for any correcting action to be done. The folks in charge of the LA marathon are like children.
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Brokendown,
Great post. Excellent points.
Here’s another layer.
When I thought I was in the race to win it, I ALWAYS jogged the last half mile of the course the night before a big one, or the morning of a minor one.
Also, the big ones have technical meetings. If you don’t go and understand the finish it’s on you the runner.
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brokendown wrote:
Having driven lead vehicles for several decades of Elite Racing events (Carlsbad, Barrios, RnR, North American Challenge, etc.) I have some thoughts on L.A. The approach to the lead vehicle exit should be fenced sufficiently to keep spectators away from the course and managed so that any non-competitors are removed. Lead vehicles should move to the exit side early enough that runners can see the full course including the finish line. The vehicle exit should be opened and closed immediately with a rope to keep runners on the course and let vehicles leave. Signs help, with an arrow pointing vehicles one way and runners the other. The exit should be managed by an experienced organizer or official, not a random volunteer or law enforcement officer. Their work is finished once the vehicles exit so they can move to another task like clearing the finish chute.
This makes too much sense.
We are talking about La-la land.
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Professional athletes deserve professional event management. Anything else is a jogathon variation
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Sweden-Gunder Hagg
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another thing... wrote:
Wondering if anyone knows the exact point of finish for this or any other major marathon. Seems like they all got a rather large archway with i assume the photo finish race camera somewhere setup within it the very start? Middle? End? Also at least one timing mat and painted banner of the asphalt. How many elite runners actually know what is considered the official line to lean at?
This is reviewed in the technical meeting before major races. It is usually (I don't like universal statements... but I have never personally seen it be otherwise) the front (closest to the runners/course) edge of the timing mat directly under/even with the finish structure (sometimes this is the first of two mats, but the second one is only there as a back-up).
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Course knowledge always pays off. A few seconds advantage adds up and knowing when to kick rules
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Many issues With race organization.
Embarrassing watching the spectator running with the leader that late in race with volunteers and pd in the area.
Even worse is pd motos did not pull ahead of the leader before they turned off course. In large races like this pd and lead vehicles should be told to pull ahead for the leaders well before they turn off the course. Same issue with Atlanta last week. Race directing 101.
Their race budget probably is in the 10 million range. Race organizers need to do the right thing and pay both of them first place $$$.
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The finish to this race has been getting a lot traction on social media. There's a video of it on Reddit that has 63k upvotes.
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"She messed him up."
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Did the finish make Sportscenter Top 10?
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Maybe if Kamau had drank something, he would have won.
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Prize money was 25k for the win and 10k for 2nd. By no means a small margin.
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For anyone asking what's happened to Kamau since - he's back in Kenya dealing with wound care from the fall at the finish line. He personally recorded a short video approving a GoFundMe for medical recovery, family support, and his return to training. He'd planned to use the prize money for his family.31
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I feel bad for Kamau. Meanwhile Martin has posted on IG about his win like he's a national hero and is getting interview on a daytime talk show giving inspirational quotes and makes no mention of the obstacle his competitor faced. Meh.
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bop wrote:
I feel bad for Kamau. Meanwhile Martin has posted on IG about his win like he's a national hero and is getting interview on a daytime talk show giving inspirational quotes and makes no mention of the obstacle his competitor faced. Meh.
Watch the NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL championships over the next 12 months.
Post in this thread examples of interviews where the winners mention the obstacles their competitors faced.
Mmkay?
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ftree wrote:
Maybe if Kamau had drank something, he would have won.
"Had drank?" Is English your first language? I'll assume you say "had ran" as well.
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Runner, MD wrote:
bop wrote:
I feel bad for Kamau. Meanwhile Martin has posted on IG about his win like he's a national hero and is getting interview on a daytime talk show giving inspirational quotes and makes no mention of the obstacle his competitor faced. Meh.
Watch the NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL championships over the next 12 months.
Post in this thread examples of interviews where the winners mention the obstacles their competitors faced.
Mmkay?
If the NBA referees allowed a woman with a Kenyan flag to run on to the court and jump about in front of the player as he's about to make a game-winning free throw and then he misses....then yeah, I reckon it would be shameless for the winners to not mention that, and for the NBA to pretend they did nothing wrong.
Actually a fairer analogy would be if a referee inadvertently blocked the free throw as he was trying to remove the lady off court, given the guy in the lanyard was accidentally directing the runner off course when trying to direct the lady. Bottom line, you can't have an official enthusiastically pointing the wrong way at a fork at the end of a marathon and then act surprised that the lead runner takes that fork. They have to pay him.
As for the winner...I think we can all put ourselves in his shoes and I would personally be putting a massive asterisk next to this 'win', wouldn't you?
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