The ugly side of the London Marathon 2019 #NotInclusive

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KeithL May 2019 1:41pm, 3 May 2019 70 posts	0 KeithL Rosehip - I think GFA serves a purpose for the organisers (as well as placating somewhat the "serious" runners) in that generally it fills a gap in the field between the elite and the rest. Squeezing it doesn't make much sense or pushing towards charity (as most wouldn't / couldn't do) To be honest I think the London Marathon Company are relatively happy with the split at the moment. My sense is that broadly they think they have got the balance right between Clubs, Ballot, International, GFA and charity and not sure we will see any drastic changes.
swittle May 2019 4:01pm, 3 May 2019 54,394 posts	0 swittle Brasher looked irked rather than uncomfortable when spoken to by the RW 7:30 pacer [D/Mail] but the clip ran out before he replied. I'm going to look at reaction in the RW forums. Having finished last in a fell race [10 miles, 3 hr 20 min.], I was greeted quizzically by 2 rave officials who recorded my time and passed me a cup of orange. In my defence, my navigational skills were such that I could easily have got lost in a corridor.
Surrey Phil May 2019 10:01pm, 5 May 2019 2,998 posts	0 Surrey Phil I found this article in The Sun. On this occasion, I side with the runner as we've all probably had to do something similar. A bit embarrassing to be named as a cheat when you're finishing time is about what you'd expect being a club runner and you've clearly crossed all the timing mats when expected: thesun.co.uk
swittle May 2019 11:13pm, 5 May 2019 54,450 posts	0 swittle Yes, I agree, Phil. Maybe the cub reporters struggled to rake out the usual crop of mat dodgers. Holmfirth Harriers, a well respected and respectable club [I've run many of its races and know many members there] won't be delighted by the 'publicity' from what is, in essence, a non-story.
Wine Legs May 2019 9:38am, 6 May 2019 4,774 posts	0 Wine Legs I won't click on a sun link...
Sharkie May 2019 9:40am, 6 May 2019 14,758 posts	0 Sharkie Me neither.
Wriggling Snake May 2019 9:44am, 6 May 2019 22,386 posts	0 Wriggling Snake Runner has a wee during run shock horror.
FenlandRunner May 2019 9:50am, 6 May 2019 1,727 posts	0 FenlandRunner Is the crux of the matter honesty and also lack of planning. The two being linked, be honest about the plans. It doesn't take a genius to work out the 7 hr 30 mins PLUS 1 hr 10 minutes is going to result in the course being open for 8 hr 40 minutes. If the course is open for x period of time be open and honest, don't agree a pacer that has been set up for failure.
Surrey Phil May 2019 10:39am, 6 May 2019 3,000 posts	0 Surrey Phil I eventually got around to seeing the interview with Victoria Derbyshire. Apart from an obviously upset pacer, there wasn't an awful lot that Hugh Brasher can do at this stage but apologise once again. Yes, there needs to be an investigation but the fact that similar stories have emerged from previous years, it makes you wonder if anything is going to be done about it. I agree with you FR, that it is pretty obvious that the timing doesn't add up. Especially if you try and cram more runners into the event thus delaying the time the slower runners cross the start line. Do they stop trying for record numbers and profit for their charitable trust and make the experience better for all? As a limited company, they have a year to work it out. Most of us in our jobs could agree on a solution in one two hour meeting!
Fragile Do Not Bend May 2019 11:20am, 6 May 2019 4,411 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend If I understand it correctly, the reason for record numbers this year wasn't the organisers trying for a record, but were due to an unusually high number of deferrals from last year and an unusually low number of people dropping out pre-race. Maybe the addition of slow pacers encouraged people who were injured to try and walk it instead of defer?