Frank Duffy 10m - 20/08/2011

strokeslover

4 stars (good)

Great event, well organised.

My only gripe is that I got a dodgy chip again this time, the same as the 5 mile!

Looking forward to the Half Marathon now!

ergonomics

2 stars (poor)

I really enjoyed this race but found it really hard from mile 5 onwards.

I ran it in 2.08 so the majority of runners finished before me. From mile 5 we were running perpendicular to the race finish and everyone who had finished, as well as their families and supporters, were just walking along the route without a care in the World. It became really tough as I had to keep dodging around them. I felt like they couldn't care less that we still had a half a race to go because they were finished. I can only imagine the stick I would get if I started walking along the middle of the route in their way before they finished the run.

I nearly went the wrong way at one point because I came to a roundabout and the stewards were too busy talking to their friends who had finished. There were so many people walking on the route that I couldn't tell where the people who were still running were going. The only thing that kept me on the right route was another runner spotted me going off the wrong way and called me.

Also, after an hour and a half all the mile markers were taken down so for the last 4 mile or so there were no markers for us so we didn't know how far we had gone or how far we had left.

I really felt like after the first hour or so everyone forgot about those of us who were still trying to finish the race which made it really really tough.

W.B. Yeats

Was v happy with my time: 77.44
15 min improvement on last year

Overall thought the race was v well organised considering the amount of people.
Positives; course overall appeared to be more downhill than uphill. Weather was great. Baggage areas better organised. Chute at the end was long enough to catch your breath before you got your goodie bag.

Negatives: people in wrong waves- signage is just not good enough. Its actually hard to get into the right wave to start. THe PA guy must have mentioned it 20 times in the 30 min before the start of the race but signs were very hard to see. One way out of it would be to make the mesh much higher to stop people climbing in from the side and to have some sort of scanning system to get into the pen at the back based on a predicted/verified race time. You'd only have to really enforce this for a few races for people to get the message. There is no disincentive for the poor behaviour so people keep going in the wrong wave. They don't give a monkeys and there is no sanction for it.
Thought 5-6 up Chesterfield on the path was very busy. Too many people on way too narrow a track. The road appeared to be closed so I don't know why they didn't allow us out onto it? Not too fond of the narrow path across near the Chapelizod gate either which we ran twice.

Its a 4 out of 5 for me.

rainbow kirby

W.B. Yeats wrote: »

Thought 5-6 up Chesterfield on the path was very busy. Too many people on way too narrow a track. The road appeared to be closed so I don't know why they didn't allow us out onto it?

Wasn't racing yesterday but was out for my run in the park while the race was on. I was asking myself the same thing when I saw that they were sending the race up the path rather than the road, it looked horribly crowded even 5-6 miles in.

W.B. Yeats

ergonomics wrote: »

I really enjoyed this race but found it really hard from mile 5 onwards.

I ran it in 2.08 so the majority of runners finished before me. From mile 5 we were running perpendicular to the race finish and everyone who had finished, as well as their families and supporters, were just walking along the route without a care in the World. It became really tough as I had to keep dodging around them. I felt like they couldn't care less that we still had a half a race to go because they were finished. I can only imagine the stick I would get if I started walking along the middle of the route in their way before they finished the run.

I nearly went the wrong way at one point because I came to a roundabout and the stewards were too busy talking to their friends who had finished. There were so many people walking on the route that I couldn't tell where the people who were still running were going. The only thing that kept me on the right route was another runner spotted me going off the wrong way and called me.

Also, after an hour and a half all the mile markers were taken down so for the last 4 mile or so there were no markers for us so we didn't know how far we had gone or how far we had left.

I really felt like after the first hour or so everyone forgot about those of us who were still trying to finish the race which made it really really tough.

That's just not good enough, I was walking back out towards Chapelizod gate after the race and trying to encourage some of the folk at the back of the field and they were asking me how far they had to go. Makes sense now.

oedipod

Muff Richardson wrote: »

ah for the love of.... if people spot a loved one, someone they know or a fellow club member and want to cheer them on by their name what the feckin hell harm is that, they've gone out on the day to support and if they want to shout support at a passing st. johns ambulance or whatever else it may be they've earned it. they are probably clapping and shouting support for others too ye know as soon as that person has gone by and support is support whatever it may be and for whoever it is a positive, kind and helpful gesture. "biggest shock" ? <mod snip>

had a brilliant day, congratulations to all and thanks so much to all the volunteers, officials, marshalls and for everyone that showed up to support and cheer on see you at the half,

Muff.

Eh, no I think you missed my point. The deadly silence along the route except when they spotted someone they knew. Deadly silence. Tumbleweed.

Diagonally

3 stars (average)

oedipod wrote: »

Eh, no I think you missed my point. The deadly silence along the route except when they spotted someone they knew. Deadly silence. Tumbleweed.

Anyone see the girl with the homemade "you are brilliant" sign between miles 5 and 6? Really cheered me up in what was definitely the toughest mile of the course for me

Buck

3 stars (average)

Diagonally wrote: »

Anyone see the girl with the homemade "you are brilliant" sign between miles 5 and 6? Really cheered me up in what was definitely the toughest mile of the course for me

Yep I spotted her and thought it was very nice of her to make a sign. Really cheered me up too.

Oisin11178

menoscemo wrote: »

They deifinitely enforced the top wave, there was only one entrance and orange (I think) bibs were only let in.

I filled out in my application that I was gonna run 4hrs in barecelona as I was planning a training run, decided last minute to go for sub 3'30 but there is no way they would let me in the wave above. I know they even stopped Oisin11178 moving back a wave (he had put down sub 3 in his application form but decided to go for sub 3'10 and wanted to run with a few others in that wave behind).
The above can be a pain but is definitely for the greater good of the race. As I say all it takes is some enforcement.

Yeah in barca they were militant about pens. As Meno said they even stopped me going back a pen. Very few if any people in the wrong pen and the start was very smooth. Colour coded pens and enforcement. Its pretty simple.

liamo123

Was running in PP this morning... Path on Chesterfield Ave is littered with all makes of empty gel wrappers... Again it goes back to presonal responsibility of runners ( along with starting in the correct pens and appropriate use of Ipods ) but I still feel organisators should have done a quick cleanup after race......

2 Miles From Narnia

I think the waves are clearly marked, and don't think anyone had an excuse for starting in the wrong one. Wave starts aside, to be brutally honest, most of the time you can tell by the look of the crowd around you if you're fit enough to be finishing in their times. I'm saying this as someone who runs slooooooowly, and started in the appropriate wave 3 yesterday.

People who start with a quicker group also aren't doing themselves any favours. I've been in runs before with no wave starts, and it's stressful to be passed out and to be feeling guilty that I'm blocking quicker runners. In those cases, I've also started the run at a quicker pace than I'm comfortable with just because of the speed of the crowd, and then got tired quickly. I'm much happier starting at the back, at a pace I'm comfortable with and can sustain for the duration.

12weeks12miles

3 stars (average)

Well my first race experience was great!, I have to say unlike a lot of other runners I was in the right wave back of wave 2!

Main issue for me was the huge disappointment having a faulty chip!!, apart from that it was great.

Only running 7 weeks now with terrible levels of fitness...See below for pictures and comments about my first race experience. Time: 1hr38:01


http://12weeks12miles.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/week-8-my-first-race-phoenix-park-10miles/

JosDel

12weeks12miles wrote: »

Well my first race experience was great!, I have to say unlike a lot of other runners I was in the right wave back of wave 2!

Main issue for me was the huge disappointment having a faulty chip!!, apart from that it was great.

Only running 7 weeks now with terrible levels of fitness...See below for pictures and comments about my first race experience. Time: 1hr38:01


http://12weeks12miles.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/week-8-my-first-race-phoenix-park-10miles/

You had a very good 2nd half, negative split, well done

James Howlett

Ran 72:38 yesterday. Not a pb but I'm very happy with the time.

Like most people here I found mile 5 - 6 the toughest. I crossed the the 5 mile mark at 35minutes on the button and despite being knackered I pressed on to the 6 mile mark. From there I kept telling myself that 2/3 of the race was done which thankfully gave me a second wind.

Again people qoing in wrong waves is a pain in the arse but in fairness to the announcer he did his best to hammer it home frequently enough before the start of the race. Also I ran with a ipod which didn't harm anyone and did give me a boost occasionally.

12weeks12miles

3 stars (average)

Thanks JosDel,
Mile 1: 10:55
Mile 2: 10:14
Mile 3: 10:02
Mile 4: 9:57
Mile 5: 9:53
Mile 6: 10:06
Mile 7: 9:57
Mile 8: 9:26
Mile 9: 8:51
Mile 10: 8:35

Yeah, I felt for my first attempt at 10 mile I paced it spot on !, training for the half marathon will start this week ! cant wait

JosDel wrote: »

You had a very good 2nd half, negative split, well done

Muff Richardson

oedipod wrote: »

Eh, no I think you missed my point. The deadly silence along the route except when they spotted someone they knew. Deadly silence. Tumbleweed.

eh, no i got your point and what i said was that the good people that came out that morning have the right to support whomever or whatever they please whether its individuals or groups or the whole bloody lot of us. if you were running the race i'm not sure how you know they weren't supporting others once you passed, but then again who cares...i don't.

groovyg

liamo123 wrote: »

Was running in PP this morning... Path on Chesterfield Ave is littered with all makes of empty gel wrappers... Again it goes back to presonal responsibility of runners ( along with starting in the correct pens and appropriate use of Ipods ) but I still feel organisators should have done a quick cleanup after race......

I was talking to one of the organisers yesterday and he said as well as the volunteers helping out yesterday, there was a company due to come in today to do a further clean up. Even at the finish despite massive bins provided for people to throw their rubbish in, there were still people throwing the rubbish from their goody bags on the road.

CJDubsFan

4 stars (good)

Have to agree with the comments about the number of people in wave 1 who were in the wrong zone. First mile was choatic trying to pass people some of whom were walking. Also was amazed at number of people standing on the banks and jumping in from the sides up near the front of wave 1. (Dun Laoghaire 10K much better organised though with much smaller numbers)

Nice touch at the end from the young girl who presented me with a box of Roses for wearing the Dubs colours. Wonder what suprise they will have in store for the Half Marathon?!

liamo123

CJDubsFan wrote: »

Have to agree with the comments about the number of people in wave 1 who were in the wrong zone. First mile was choatic trying to pass people some of whom were walking. Also was amazed at number of people standing on the banks and jumping in from the sides up near the front of wave 1. (Dun Laoghaire 10K much better organised though with much smaller numbers)

Nice touch at the end from the young girl who presented me with a box of Roses for wearing the Dubs colours. Wonder what suprise they will have in store for the Half Marathon?!

Jez lucky I wasnt wearing my Meath jersey or I would have got pelted with rotten eggs or the like :eek:

ILikeBananas

3 stars (average)

12weeks12miles wrote: »

Main issue for me was the huge disappointment having a faulty chip!!, apart from that it was great.

My chip time was wrong as well for the 5 mile race. I e-mailed the race organisers the week after about it. They in turn got onto the timing people and within a few days they got back to me with my correct time.

The e-mail address is raceseries@dublinmarathon.ie

oedipod

Muff Richardson wrote: »

eh, no i got your point and what i said was that the good people that came out that morning have the right to support whomever or whatever they please whether its individuals or groups or the whole bloody lot of us. if you were running the race i'm not sure how you know they weren't supporting others once you passed, but then again who cares...i don't.

It must have been my "Quiet Please" tee-shirt.

Dilbert75

3 stars (average)

On the ipod question, I think its only fair to bear in mind that many people, especially those who run outside urban centres with running clubs, run on their own and their ipod is their company, their motivation and their rhythm. If that's the case then its hard to run without it. And when used sensibly they're fine.
In relation to the waves, there must be a large number of repeat competitors for whom the organisers already have times. Its surely not beyond the wit of man to allocate them pens on that basis and to police the pens well. Any first time entrants could provide a finish time from a Athletics Ireland-accredited race and be classed on their time or they could go in the last pen. It'd probably sort out 98% of the problem.
And to the poster who had his feather ruffled by strangers not cheering as he or she passed, I can only offer my own experience as a spectator at many races - sometimes, when you've been standing there clapping since the first runner came along, you just have to stop for a while. Cos your hands are sore and you're sick of hearing your own voice repeating the same encouragement over and over every few seconds.

justfortherecor

4 stars (good)

Frank Duffy 10 mile was my first running event and overall I was really impressed with the set up.

I started in Wave 2 as I wasn't sure how I'd fare. Ended up running it in 70 mins so should really have been in the first wave if I'd had enough confidence in my running ability! Spent pretty much the whole 10 miles trying to work through the field - agree with many posters on here, it was obvious there were some people in wave 1 who had no business being that far up there and only served to frustrate and obstruct faster runners behind.

Maybe a lot of the runners think they need to be up close to the front to log a properly recorded time. Thankfully, the chip system seems to be largely accurate. I didn't pass the start line until about 8 mins had already passed from the "start horn" but the chip pretty much recorded my time to within 10 seconds of my stop watch.

Anyway, enjoyed the buzz of yesterday and will probably sign up to the half marathon in a few weeks. Well done to the organisers on what looks to be a great race series.

RacoonQueen

groovyg wrote: »

I was talking to one of the organisers yesterday and he said as well as the volunteers helping out yesterday, there was a company due to come in today to do a further clean up. Even at the finish despite massive bins provided for people to throw their rubbish in, there were still people throwing the rubbish from their goody bags on the road.

Yeah I was there at 5ish yesterday and they were still cleaning up the finish area. This evening, again at 5ish Chesterfield ave and the north road were clear but for 1 or 2 odd gel wrappers which could have been dumped during the day.

RayCun

3 stars (average)

Dilbert75 wrote: »

On the ipod question, I think its only fair to bear in mind that many people, especially those who run outside urban centres with running clubs, run on their own and their ipod is their company, their motivation and their rhythm.

I'm in an urban centre, and a running club, but most of my running is on my own. And on most of those runs, I listen to an ipod.
But not in a race.
Its important to be aware of other runners, and its important - if you're going to run your best race - to be aware of yourself, not being distracted by music.

irlirishkev

4 stars (good)

This whole Ipod/MP3 player issue is new to me.
Personally I don't listen to music when running, as I tend to run in the city, and I *need* to hear what's going on around me.

The only annoyance I experienced during the run, in relation to Ipods, was two girls running along with music playing without headphones. I've never witnessed that before.

In the Connemarathon, if you're caught using any sort of MP3 player you're taken out of the race:

ARE IPODS AND MP3 PLAYERS BANNED ?

Yes, all personal music devices are banned for safety reasons.
Our race vehicles and ambulances must use the course, and must be able to alert participants of their presence.
A ban means that anyone using a device during the event will be disqualified from our results and will not be registered as a Connemarathon finisher.

Dilbert75

3 stars (average)

RayCun wrote: »

I'm in an urban centre, and a running club, but most of my running is on my own. And on most of those runs, I listen to an ipod.
But not in a race.
Its important to be aware of other runners, and its important - if you're going to run your best race - to be aware of yourself, not being distracted by music.

Like I said

when used sensibly they're fine

I wasn't running yesterday but I have run in races with an iPod and have always kept it so low that I knew exactly what was going on around me and could easily have a conversation with someone near me. So I don't see that as a problem. Its the people who are in a world of their own, with or without earphones, who are the problem.

Like the two women who were in the middle of the 1st pen with Mrs. Dilbert. One said to the other "should we be in here?". The other replied "sure who's going to know..." THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO TRIP OVER YOUR SLOW ASSES, THAT'S WHO!!!!:mad:

copacetic

4 stars (good)

Anyone else surprised to find out that the half clashes directly with Irelands game v Australia in world cup? Caught out by that and no chance of seeing even a minute of massive game if run the race.

Any ideas for a replacement? I see there is a half in chareville on the Sunday but it's a bit of a trek for me..

outforarun

4 stars (good)

Giving this a 5 out of 5. Given the numbers involved this potentially could have turned messy. Instead it went off very smoothly. Maybe it was me being lucky but I didn't encounter any terrible traffic and I didn't have to weave past anyone obviously in the wrong wave. The route was well marked. I know there were cups instead of bottles but I nearly ended my marathon in Cork by threading on an abandoned and full bottle. Only thing missing? Some music to help me up the hill to Acres Road.

W.B. Yeats

copacetic wrote: »

Anyone else surprised to find out that the half clashes directly with Irelands game v Australia in world cup? Caught out by that and no chance of seeing even a minute of massive game if run the race.

Any ideas for a replacement? I see there is a half in chareville on the Sunday but it's a bit of a trek for me..

Sky plus/ UPC..... don't turn the radio on and get home quickly