The Forthside Edinburgh Half Marathon 26/3/06
There was more than a hint of cock-up right from the word go about the inaugural Forthside Half Marathon, Edinburgh's newest race through one of the city's newest developments. Sadly it seemed to be the order of the day as one thing after another must have left the organisers with very red faces.
The time and date was the first bad news. Losing an hour to the clocks going forward, the 9am start became 8am real time which meant if you require 3hrs between eating and racing, you'd be breakfasting at 5am real time. Not a relaxing start to the day. However we got lucky with the weather as the early rain cleared to mild bright skies. Almost too mild at times. It meant that standing about waiting for the race to start wasn't too painful.
The queues for the toilets were about 30 deep x 20, shortly before 9am and obscured the starting pens where we were supposed to gather. A rumour went round that due to traffic congestion (caused by the race) the race would be started 15 mins late - not promptly as the race pack stated. About 9.12 there was a general surge towards the start and realising there was a very strong chance of being boxed in behind inexperienced fun-runners a few of us made our way towards the front. Others weren't so lucky as the original starting pens idea turned out to be unworkable. Teething problems. In fact those at the back seemed unaware the race had started when it eventually did. Within the first quarter of a mile round the back of the service area of Ocean Terminal the route turned a corner and we were confronted with 5 desperate guys trying to heave a road blocking control barrier up out the way. Interesting as it might have been to have a steeple chase element in a half marathon course the organisers must have been beginning to get the feeling that their race was not running smoothly. Other assault course items - traffic cones with rope between, littered the course making for hazardous route finding. Amusing for the front runners, annoying and dangerous once the pack mobbed the bottlenecks.
I believe the back runners took 2 or 3 minutes just to reach and cross the start line. As the race was not championchipped this would be hugely frustrating and ruin any chance of those folk achieving a pb. Any race these days with over 1200 entrants and you would expect a championchip. At £18 ~ £22 entry and 3000+ entries this device would have offset many of the day's complaints. Poor start and ridiculous finish. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The course: the problems with the course were threefold.
One; there is only 10 or 11 miles of running between Ocean Terminal and Cramond and back. To make this up to 13.1 miles the route planners “cunningly” added some diversions. We might have overlooked an additional out and back above marine drive - a scenic meander round the cul-de-sac where coastal doggers park, overlooking Cramond Island - however the third add-on out-and-back up a grim road to nowhere in industrial Granton, followed by the last dogleg past Ocean Terminal and halfway to Musselburgh up some recently completed wasteland intersection, before returning to the material mecca of the mall, got a universal thumbs down. No runner would ever have designed this route.
Two; the wind always blows in your face. 361 days a year this part of the world, being coastal, is subject to strong winds that seem to be in your teeth no matter what direction you run in. For the organisers to boast that this would be “one of the fastest” out and back halfs in the uk is sheer folly and marketing spin. Maybe on paper (if you ignore the long drag up from Granton) but in reality the wind is too ever-present for this to be a reality. On the day the wind was probably less strong than usual but still a major factor. I ran 90 secs slower than Alloa last week which isn't the fastest course on the circuit. Mary managed 6 mins slower.
Three; Scenery. I think Douglas is on record describing parts of the course as scurrilous. For myself, I would always choose a hilly slow picturesque race over a fast flat East Kilbride. The surroundings often have more of an impact than you imagine. I ran Glen Clova last year a full minute faster than this race.
There were good things about the Edinburgh Half and they shouldn't be overlooked. The water tables were every 3 miles or so and on such a mild day very welcome. They used bottles (preferable to cups) and were well manned when I went past, though later reports suggested things deteriorated and water ran out, leaving runners resorting to picking up discarded half used bottles. There was little evidence of the promised sponsors sports drink which annoyed some. Another good thing was a handsome and weighty medal. And the withdrawal and transfer policy was both novel and worthy of mention. If you decided not to run you could (until a cut-off date) legitimately transfer your number to another runner or exchange your number for entry into one of 2 other events. This is the sort of forward thinking much appreciated by injured runners.
But the bad on the day seemed to outweigh the good, and after a gruelling course the finish descended into such a debacle that locals hung their heads in shame. Lack of championchips meant that what started as a queue in the disorganised chicanes beyond the finish line, backed up until the runners were queueing to cross the finish line. Nothing short of a public lynching of the organisers would have cheered up the 10 minute shivering queue for medals and goody bag. And what a goody bag; a few advertising leaflets and a bottle of water led some to believe that the contents must have fallen out unnoticed on the way to their car. All this for £20!
I quite enjoyed the first half of the race though the early start after a long week had me suspecting I might see my all-too-recent breakfast again. I enjoyed the Laurel and Hardy feel of the chaos and assault course, and wasn't too perturbed by the industrial nature of the eyesores of Granton as I have run these roads many times (en route to the prettier Almond valley). I ran just behind Roz Alexander who often starts slower than myself and inevitably finishes faster, waiting until mile 5 before going past her. About this point Gerry went past me and although I got ahead again for a couple of miles, when he went past again at mile 10, I knew he would be staying ahead. Roz went past in the last half mile. I hated the tacked on contrivances to make up the distance, though I enjoyed waving to the other Porties as we doubled back from Cramond. Everything after mile 10 was just a struggle during which I looked forward to the finish and getting back to bed for that missed hour.
There was a large contingent of PRCers present and a few extras lining the route and taking photos. (Your support much appreciated.) Whether the results will ever be published (unreliable after about the 95 minute mark) remains to be seen. The organisers haven't responded to a couple of emails yet. Maybe they are quietly leaving the country?
If you applied for this race
online through the Runner's World website they invited you to comment on the race. Click here to read a hundred and one rather unhappy critiques. Never mind, it could have been worse - it could have been raining.
Report Peter Buchanan
Here is how Sandi enjoyed the race...
After my struggle at Alloa last week I kept my promise to myself and had a quieter, alcohol free week with a trip to a sports therapist on Tuesday - wow! were my quads tight.
The start to the race was delayed by 15 minutes - I never found out why. Just as well though because the queues fo
r the toilets both inside Ocean Terminal and outside were never ending. The queues for the outside ones actually went right through the runners holding area. Took me 2 minutes 28 seconds to cross the start line and the first mile of the race was a foot dodging nightmare.
I believe twice as many runners entered than was expected and I think that took a toll on the organisation and smooth running of the race. There were lots of cones placed along the course but leaving much too narrow an area for running in so runners were running outside and marshalls were getting a bit upset. I thought the weather was great and was chuffed to be able to sport only my running vest when the sun came out. The course had 4 loops. The ones at Cramond and Silverknowes were okay as it was still fairly early on in the race but the one on the shore road was unexpected (I never received a course map in my race pack and was unsuccessful when trying to download one from the internet).
I lost track of the last three mile markers and was totally taken aback when I reached Ocean Terminal and instead of running to the finish line had to do another loop away from OT up towards the bridge over the water! On reaching the finish line I saw the clock at 1hr 53mins. I did my usual last minute sprint but didn't quite make it before it clicked to 1hr 54mins (I dont count seconds unless they are in my favour!)
However, the biggest shock was yet to come. I crossed the line then came to an abrupt halt - literally. There were 4 channels to take you to what they called the "finish line". Hey, but I crossed it at 1hr 54mins! I waited at least 10 minutes in this queue.
My legs started to seize up, we really could not move. My number was taken eventually but I have no idea what time it was allocated to. The officials were quite impatient and there was a distinct lack of humour around. Glad the marshalls on the course entered into the spirit and one was particularly encouraging. I think I prefer the smaller races, ones like Lasswade 10, where it is much less formal and the home baking is superb.
Report Sandi Bomphray
Photos Peter Buchanan, Alex Bomphray
Composite Photos Sally Scott
Here are some photos from Andrew Jeske with some comments
from the Runners World site...
"Totally inadequate loos (loads of people still queing when race started); inadequate PA system/ no communication about changed start time; no marshalls for the start. I am a reasonable standard runner, aiming for another sub-1:30, and it took me one minute to cross the start line, and another 7:30 to complete the first mile as I was dodging and weaving slower runners/barriers etc. Appalled at absence of chip timing in a mass start event, and at slowness of getting results out. It's a race a I prefer to forget and thought it was an embarassment to Edinburgh and Scotland. I travelled up from London - I won't bother again."
"After 40+ marathons and more halfs I have never seen a worse organised event"
"As for the Evening News report on Monday.... which race were they at?! Where were the thousands lining the route - or did they mistake the crowds at the finishing line as the spectators?! Thanks to those who did support us - much appreciated by me and fellow runners. Made us feel human and not just a race number....".
"Everyone deserves a second chance, so let's give a second chance to the organisers of this race. Whilst the course is flat with scenic Forth views, it hardly showcases Edinburgh's architecture via taking us through (half-developed) trading estates. Also thought some of the road surfaces were dreadful - potholes gave major risk of ankle injury. As for the goody bag, I gave up queuing but obviously didn't miss out. And yes Championchip next time please."
"The barrier at Royal Yacht that someone had forgotten to lift provided an unusual challenge, as did the cones and rope left on the track in the first mile.... I also found the scenery breathtaking...especially the dump and the fine examples of modern industrial architecture on the industrial estate. Who wants to see the landmarks of one of the UK's most beautiful cities when you can see derelict dockland, offices and a shopping centre? Most memorable moment was the bloke (without a PA) trying to get 4000 people to be quiet whilst he started the race! He did try."
"When the race started (again no gun or hooter) I managed to get through the start gate in about 2 minutes 40 and there were quite a few bottle necks which you come to expect but don't really like. My main problem with the route was that there was still bottle necks several miles into the route when the runners had thinned out.I have to agree with everybody else's comments about the finish, I can't believe its so badly organised that you have to queue for 5 minutes just to inch your way over the finish line to queue another 10 minutes at the other side before you even see any water or have your position taken. I was fortunate enough to have an earlier finisher give me a bottle of water & banana only for him to be told off by the man handing out the water that it would mean someone at the end would miss out because he had taken 2 bottles! Have these people never organised a race before, do they not know that people need water as soon as the cross the line not 15 minutes later and some people need 2 bottles and they should order more than 1 per head just in case?"
"Hideous shambles....had a nice chat with girl whilst waiting about 20 mins to get over finish line.
That was the highlight."
"One thing I can add is that my partner came in the top 10 which should have received a prize (according to the adverts.) We went to the presentation where there was a lot of back slapping and self praise. But other than that no one had any idea of who had come in after the first 3 nor if there were any prizes.Won't do it again and feel like complaining under the trade descriptions act."
"This was my first ever organised race and I was totally put off by this event. However, having read others' comments I'll give this running caper a second chance - sounds like Glasgow's the better option?"
"Shambles of a start which was delayed by 15 minutes. No chance of proper timing as there was a scrum to cross the line. No proper penning as was advertised. I then had to swerve to avoid a police bike parked in the middle of the course just round a bend 400 metres from the start. No isotonic (those sponsors must be delighted). Most of the first 5 miles raced thru a Robocop-style wasteland. No chip and a hopeless goodie bag that included a heap of junk mail and a banana. All that bag was good for was popping over your head to avoid seeing the misery of competitors who'd paid over £20 but who couldn't even cross the finish line and had to wait 35 minutes for a drink while they half froze to death. Nice little earner "ethical" athletics."
"I agree with everyone. Being from Edinburgh I couldn't believe the route through the industrial estates. Why loop? It could have been worse though, I might have got a goodie bag."
"Wow! i would like to thank the organisers of this event for showing me that EVERY other race I have ever done or will do was/will be so much better than this."
"The race and the Edinburgh Forthside development have much in common - very much work in progress and might be nice when properly finished. Just not sure which decade this might be!"
"A wretched slog through the ugliest parts of Edinburgh. Hopeless organisation, a late start, several loops in the course that followed the ugliest route conceivable in Edinburgh, no championchips. Apparently there were no T-shirts in the goody bag - I spent 20 quid plus for a medal and a banana."
"Only new point I can add to comments is that I emailed the race director a week before the race. In my email I specifically asked about how they planned to record timing as there didn't appear to be a chip system. I was surprised to get a pretty hostile response to what i thought was a fair question, politely put. I was told in no uncertain terms that this was a professionally organised race, and was basically made to feel I had no right to query them. It was not a nice email to receive."
"Incredible that in an area like Leith, with so much open space, that the start was confined to such a small area and that the first stage was run through so many bottlenecks. There were more toilets at the start of the Inverness marathon, which must have had a quarter of the number fo the runners and began in the middle of nowhere! The course hadnt been properly cleared of rubbish/hazards (dumped building materials, road-work signs) - dangerous with such a congested pack early on. Cramond part was a great run. Got in in under 1 hr 30, so didnt experience the congestion others did and feel very sorry for them. This could be a great event - please get it right next time."
"chaos"
"Very disappointing, as a local I had looked forward to this, but it was poor.
The start was a mess with pens being in the same place as toliet queues. Also late start.
Desperate lack of water - i'm a 'back of the packer' and there was no water left at any of the stations - with some improptu water turning up later. Course poor, with demoralising and grim out and back elements to make up the distance."
"First half marathon in my home city, people were friendly and had a good atmosphere."
"Overall I would say that the race has potential but needs far better organisation."
"Balls-up at the start - what a daft place to put the loos, NEXT YEAR GET A BLOKE AND LOUDSPEAKER ON TOP OF A BUS, AND PUT THE LOOS AWAY FROM THE START. Nice course though. Organisation not great overall for a capital city race. (And I got sodding parking ticket!)"
"Ugly, contrived route, late start, poor organisation, no championchip, exposed to wind, expensive"
"I really enjoyed the race - running along the waterfront was lovely"
photos Andrew Jeske
click here for movie
3mb download really only suitable for broadbandOn the front page of their website the event director and race director have issued an apology saying they "willingly acknowledge the shortcomings and apologise for the inconvenience caused to the runners and wish to thank all those who have taken the time to bring these issues to their attention."
