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Fargo 1/2 Marathon finish (Read 1032 times)


Am I doing this right?

    Anyone else see the debacle they had up in Fargo this past weekend?

     

     

    http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/361357/

     

    Click the wild finish video. Far right video.

    No excuses....

    xor


      Hey, at least they didn't shut their race down 2 1/2 hours into it, a la Green Bay.

       

      As for this finish at Fargo, interesting from multiple angles.  Especially the 10k folks who got in the way.  "beginners who don't know protocol".  Oh yeah.

       


      ultramarathon/triathlete

        Wow that blows big time.  Shame on the race organizers for allowing such a clusterfuck to even happen. 

         

        The 2nd place guy, with his funny Fargo accent, says "regardless of what happened in the last 50 meters, there was 13.1 miles for me to win in that race and I just never did."  Kudos to him for a very positive sportsman attitude, but seriously, he was actually screwed by those joggers in the finish chute. He had to slow down, move over to get around them and the other guy had a straight shot to sprint by.

         

        There's no excuse for allowing things like that to get so crazy at the end.  I mean, what, the organizers had NO IDEA the lead guys were about to finish and couldn't clear things out for them?  

        First a van cuts them off, then the guy on the bike (was he leading them, if so why didn't he get people out of the way at the end?) and the walkers and joggers?  wtf?  I'd be pissssssssssssed. 

        HTFU?  Why not!

        USATF Coach

        Empire Tri Club Coach
        Gatorade Endurance Team

          http://www.fargomarathon.com/weekend.htm

           

          wow.  that sucks.

           

          the 10k started 30 minutes before the half marathon accoring to this schedule.  which means he was running into 90+ minute 10k "runners". 

           

          I guess those folks make the organizers money and this is the risk the organizers take.  It sure would have been nice if they had someone moving the "runners" over to the proper side. 

           

          that just can't be allowed to happen. 

           

           

           

           

            just reviewed that video, & it looks to me like the 2nd place finisher really just blew it.  Yeah there should have been separate chutes or at least an organizer clearing the way but he had a clear path & almost ran into those people on his own.   the winner found a clear path & finished the race full out.  #2 guy did show class by not offering excuses.

             

            also you can see several people looking back & seeing these 2 coming in running hard but made absolutely no effort to give them space. whats the deal with that?

             

            what is funny to me is that the winner was describing how he was just "hanging on" last 8 or 9 miles.  He finished in 1:04 something! 


            Why is it sideways?

              wow.  that sucks.

               

              the 10k started 30 minutes before the half marathon accoring to this schedule.  which means he was running into 90+ minute 10k "runners". 

               

              I guess those folks make the organizers money and this is the risk the organizers take.  It sure would have been nice if they had someone moving the "runners" over to the proper side. 

               

              that just can't be allowed to happen. 

               

              Those guys are FAST.

               

              It is nice to see the outrage, but running into slower runners blocking the course is extremely common, and I assume it will continue happening for the reasons that you note.

               

              Probably some volunteer was instructed to take care of this, but a) your standard 90 minute 10ker is not very responsive to course instructions and b) your standard volunteer doesn't realize the importance of the task, the speed at which the top runners are coming, when they might be coming, etc. c) The biggest problem is that the hardest moments in course direction occur the very first time a volunteer sees someone; they haven't practiced their duty, and sometimes (quite often) they get confused in the heat of the moment, even if they have been given instructions.

              xor


                Underscore A.  (ok, actually all of that was great, but A is the one *I* am thinking about).

                 

                Sometimes these folks will look at a person trying to direct them as if the course marshal(l) is speaking gibberish or doing it to be "mean".  This also comes up in the starting corrals when a group of charity runners (not limited to charity runners, but these are all in the same shirts so easiest to spot) is way too far up front given that it is clear they are about to depart the start walking 5-wide.

                 


                #artbydmcbride

                  Heh, Pasadena just had their bike "tour" riders finishing at the same time as the half marathoners.  Big grin   "Look out, I'm on a bike and I don't wanna brake!"

                   

                  Runners run

                  Brandy


                  booyah

                    I did the full there and they had similar coned off areas for the HM and full at that point (we started 45 min after the half).  However, I did not see one volunteer directing the runners into one or the other.  A full closed off lane coming into the dome with a volunteer directing at the break should have been done.

                     

                    Maybe the 10k will be on Friday night with the 5k next year.

                      I did the full there and they had similar coned off areas for the HM and full at that point (we started 45 min after the half).  However, I did not see one volunteer directing the runners into one or the other.  A full closed off lane coming into the dome with a volunteer directing at the break should have been done.

                       

                      Maybe the 10k will be on Friday night with the 5k next year.

                       

                      looks like you ran a great race.  congrats. 

                       

                       

                       

                       


                      Feeling the growl again

                        just reviewed that video, & it looks to me like the 2nd place finisher really just blew it.  Yeah there should have been separate chutes or at least an organizer clearing the way but he had a clear path & almost ran into those people on his own.   the winner found a clear path & finished the race full out. 

                         

                        It is hard to tell from the angle and range of the camera, but it appears possible that the eventual 2nd place runner thought he had a clear line to snake past them on the left, but then when one of the women heard the commotion and glanced over her shoulder both of the women then moved left in an apparent attempt to let them by on their right.  So it appears as soon as the women became aware of what was going on they tried to do the right thing...it just so happened that the guy was targeting the open space to their left to get by and they closed it up.

                         

                        I've begun to actively take races that force faster runners to run through slower ones off my list of races to repeat/frequent.  For example while I loved the Bayshore Marathon course, it's an out-and-back on a narrow 2-lane road.  So when you turn around you have the whole rest of the race coming at you....and they start the HM at the turnaround so you have to go through all of them too.  More than annoying if you're in a foul mood from a bad day and in the last miserable miles of a long race.  It can be dangerous too...I've never actually collided with a slower runner/walker, a few close calls, but when intentions become confused or people aren't paying attention it can happen.

                         

                        It's one thing when it's a local fun run with a couple hundred participants, and quite another when it's a major race where things get crowded.

                        "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                         

                        I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                         

                          This reminds me of last year's Las Vegas Rock N Roll marathon.  Us marathoners hitting the merge point with the half marathoners (who started 90 minutes after us).  I was through the half in 1:37 and then hit a wall of 35,000 half marathoners (20,000 of them walkers) with no specific lane for marathoners.  And the rest is history!

                          2018 Goals

                          Figure out the achilles thing...... and THEN try to get running regularly again.

                          No racing goals 

                           

                          HermosaBoy


                            looks like you ran a great race.  congrats. 

                             

                            Yes, she did...

                            And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx

                             

                            Rob

                              Spaniel:  agree that it is hard to tell for sure from that video. It did look like he had a clear path at first which the eventual winner took.  I can see your point of view for the faster runners.    it is important to have clear path to finish even for a non-elite like myself just not as important.  it would be very frustrating which is why even more impressed with the #2 guys attitude.   I do agree that they (organizers) did a poor job planning or executing that finish line.  hopefully they will clean up the finish area next year.

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