2022 Raheny 5 mile

Aside from the mishap with the distance - it was a great event as per usual. Plenty of volunteers and spectators on the course. A great turnout of participants. A lot of side stepping for the first while, a few near misses for me, but it made a change for it to be me doing the overtaking! Crowd never really thinned out that much the whole way around, testament to the good turn out. I didn't really miss the goodie bag but I think a lot of the treats were gone by the time I finished but a hot cup of tea and a banana are my usuals post race so the Crunchie was a well earned treat!

Personally I am disappointed in the cock-up with the distance and therefore the times. I've been working hard on my health and fitness this last 6 months or so, so this event was going to be a good benchmark for me to see where I'm at and how I've improved since the last Raheny 2 years ago. I'm sure it was a pb for me but I don't know what it actually was. The out and back in the park always feels long for me, it's the one part of the course I don't like as I don't like the motion of running against the flow of traffic on the far side of the cones. But when I came out of the park I felt the distance was off and thought maybe we were turning in for the finish sooner and approaching in towards the start. Running past the finish gantry and on around the little park, then the watch telling me 5 miles was done was disheartening. It made me feel like I wasn't going to get a fair result. It's disappointing to read here that they didn't address it in their race report and are supposedly blaming a contractor.

But look it, I'll be back again next year!

Absolutely unacceptable to have a race in this day and age and be so far off with the distance.

Nobody double-checked the distance?

I find that hard to accept.

Then to not acknowledge it since?

Lack of goodie bag "due to COVID" another head scratcher.

They are pulling in far too much money for this race to have it run like that.

And that will continue until the club addresses the issue in its report.

Great race and atmosphere as always and as expected a really strong and deep field to measure yourself against. I knew heading up the U-turn that something was awry when my watch beeped for 4 miles as I distinctly remembered that 4 mile mark being after the turn last time. The 500m extra was so tough on the body but a race is a race and while it's disappointing to not get that 5 mile time (and PB for some) you can at least measure yourself on how you placed compared to your usual peers. I'd agree with above though that the organisers should probably come out and explain what happened, people will hopefully understand and the masses will certainly come back next year. It really highlights the need to double-check course measurements (especially when cones are involved) in high profile races, particularly with the potential backlash on social media that can affect the reputation of a race. One mistake in 38 years can probably be forgiven in time but it's clearly still very raw with people.

For anyone wanting to calculate their real time, I made up a little calculator here: https://myrunningpace.com/long-short/

When there is a turnabout cone and it's in the wrong place it doubles the distance issue. Someone made a mistake and put a cone 250 meters further on than it should be. A very simple human error probably caused by miscommunication and our old friends assumption and presumption. It hasn't been 24 hours yet and the committee will need to establish what and how it happened before going to social media. I think a pause before rushing to facebook and twitter is a thing most people should take on board.

...do you think courses are measured on the morning of the race?

While you're right that they will need to establish what happened, a simple post along the lines of

would go a long way. Silence just looks like they're burying their head in the sand - regardless of whether or not they actually are

Having been involved in measuring my own clubs race course I'm pretty well equipped to know what's involved.

If it was the same course it wouldn't of been long and if you bothered to read my OP you would see what was explained to me by a Raheny member

https://rahenyshamrock.ie/?p=5370

Raheny 5 Race Director Statement

Posted By Dave Hooper on 01/02/2022

The AXA Raheny 5 organisers acknowledge a course measurement error in the 2022 event and apologise unreservedly for this.

We were dismayed when it became very obvious after the event that a miscalculation had occurred.

The organising committee immediately conducted a review into this incident, including discussions with a number of our volunteer team and athletes alike.

It emerged that the marker for the U-turn point on the main avenue in St Anne’s Park had been placed in the incorrect position. This led to approximately 500m being added to the course.

“To err is human” said AXA Raheny 5 Race Director Dave Hooper. “Unfortunately it has happened and cannot be undone”.

“We worked throughout the club with a dedicated team to deliver the 2022 AXA Raheny 5 with our plans changing near daily since mainly due to the Covid-19 situation. Having surmounted the challenges around all of that unfortunately and most disappointingly for our participants there is no doubt the course on the day was long.”

“We have significant learnings to take from this occurrence and from the 2022 AXA Raheny 5 event as a whole which we plan to include in our race planning for 2023”.

“While it is very disappointing that this happened, our number one priority was the return of the AXA Raheny 5 in 2022”.

“The committee and race team worked hard to ensure the delivery of the race engaging with all local stakeholders, An Gardai Siochana, Sports Medics Ireland and the Order of Malta in challenging circumstance and became the first mass participation event to take place in the Republic of Ireland since March 2020”.

“Our apologies are sincere and unqualified. We will take our learnings and look to make the 2023 event the best yet” concluded Hooper.

Please see calculator developed to calculate 2022 Raheny 5 mile time to actual 5 mile time. https://myrunningpace.com/long-short/

Why not argue what I said rather than troll?

What he said about being first mass event was a lie.

They didn't bother to measure the course, end of.

Welllll to be fair people have a right to voice their opinion. Its not this is a charity run event or a freebie. People revisit races year on year based upon the previous experience and if it falls short (or long in this matter!) then they've a right to at least say it. Yes no one died, and yes yes Covid, but that can't be the baseline for everything.

No one has been screwed out of money but to be part of a couple hundred crowd in a small area trying to get bottle of water and a banana, and it was a scrum , when it was handled so well in previous years, maybe they have a right to voice their opinion. I know a few people who just avoided it and didnt bother going near it at the end and you'd argue that's what they pay for.

And lets be brutally honest, people signup to these events BECAUSE of the goodie bag, the hat or the medal and what not. And more power to them, these are the people who keep these events in the red year on year.