Waterford Marathon???

d-sher

Was just chatting in work a few minutes ago.

Isn't it an awful shame that a major city like Waterford does not have a Certified 26.2 mile Marathon!!

I think its about time we had our own Marathon to rival the likes of Dublin and Cork. I mean even Longford has one and Longford has nothing!!...

ziedth

Funny you should mention that cause a few of us are running one in the autum in memory of a friend and I did find it odd that there wasn't a local one.

Sosa

d-sher wrote: »

Was just chatting in work a few minutes ago.

Isn't it an awful shame that a major city like Waterford does not have a Certified 26.2 mile Marathon!!

I think its about time we had our own Marathon to rival the likes of Dublin and Cork. I mean even Longford has one and Longford has nothing!!...

We have a half marathon in december,and the problem is that there are so many in Ireland,Dublin,Cork,Longford,Limerick,Galway,Killarney,Belfast and i think 1 or 2 others aswell...
Waterford would be perfect though and i would imagine thgey would get a big response aswell.
Its a big deal to organise though..but you never know,maybe one day

savic04

I was told that werent enough local available hotel beds to qualify for a proper marathon with whatever the govern body is.

seanybiker

Ziedth. wrote: »

Funny you should mention that cause a few of us are running one in the autum in memory of a friend and I did find it odd that there wasn't a local one.

Keep us informed about that will ya. 2 of me brothers are after doing a nice amount of marathons already. Think the twin is going to the boston one or something mad like that

gscully

savic04 wrote: »

I was told that werent enough local available hotel beds to qualify for a proper marathon with whatever the govern body is.

That's nuts. 26.2 miles has nothing to do with hotel beds.

There's already a half-marathon run in December, and the route of that takes us out the Tramore Rd to Riverstown and back in. Waterford is a compact city and to try and have a marathon in it would mean shutting down many streets for hours, and that wouldn't be tolerated I guess. The only option would be to run it outside the city, but the majority of roads are sub-standard anyway.

It's a pity really.

ziedth

seanybiker wrote: »

Keep us informed about that will ya. 2 of me brothers are after doing a nice amount of marathons already. Think the twin is going to the boston one or something mad like that

I will, it's the dingle one we all are doing. I'm not built for speed or distance so it should be fun fun.

J-Fit

gscully wrote: »

That's nuts. 26.2 miles has nothing to do with hotel beds.

There's already a half-marathon run in December, and the route of that takes us out the Tramore Rd to Riverstown and back in. Waterford is a compact city and to try and have a marathon in it would mean shutting down many streets for hours, and that wouldn't be tolerated I guess. The only option would be to run it outside the city, but the majority of roads are sub-standard anyway.

It's a pity really.

Well there's a bypass now and with not many businesses in the city centre these days, shutting up shop on a Sunday afternoon wouldn't be too much to ask would it?

decies

mind you if we lined up all the unemployed in the city it would probably stretch for 26.2 miles :mad:

savic04

gscully wrote: »

That's nuts. 26.2 miles has nothing to do with hotel beds.

So you think it will just be all Waterford people running it, or maybe over a thousand people plus would need accommodation for the night on top of what the hotels normally take on a weekend night

d-sher

J-Fit wrote: »

Well there's a bypass now and with not many businesses in the city centre these days, shutting up shop on a Sunday afternoon wouldn't be too much to ask would it?

Totally agree! they manage to do it in countless other Counties... In any event, the extra cash brought into the town from outside runners and supporters would be a huge injection for local businesses in the city.

So you think it will just be all Waterford people running it, or maybe over a thousand people plus would need accommodation for the night on top of what the hotels normally take on a weekend night

Doubt Hotels and B&B's would be complaining! It would bring some much needed revenue in for the town. Better call off the Tall Ships and Spraoi and the likes then?? :eek:

gscully

savic04 wrote: »

So you think it will just be all Waterford people running it, or maybe over a thousand people plus would need accommodation for the night on top of what the hotels normally take on a weekend night

Not at all. I'm just saying that a marathon is a marathon, regardless of the number of hotel beds in a city. Do Connemara and Longford have more hotel beds than Waterford???

When it comes to the half-marathon, a lot of athletic clubs hire a bus and drive down that morning. Not ideal for a full marathon IMO.

Liam706

Hi All,

I tried to get a marathon up and running in Waterford for this year. This project had alot of backing from people within the council, patrons of other marathons and running events both from home & abroad and members of the community giving up their time. Unfortunately I was unable to get the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club who felt the event would have an adverse impact on the half marathon event. This is very understandable as the half marathon is the WAC's main event in the year. It has to be mentioned that the half marathon event is a very worth while event, and the marathon was planned for November in order to coincide with the City's plans for the Christmas promotion of the City Centre.

Without the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club it is impossible to get the AAI permit signed, which is a requirement to have the event endorsed by the Athletics Association of Ireland. Furthermore the idea of this event was to help the City in a time when a boost to the economy was and is so badly needed, not to upset people or groups who already do so much for the people of this City anyway.

We believe we came close but unfortunatley it wasn't to be. Please check out www.waterfordchristmasmarathon.com and let me know what you thought of our logo.

I would like to add if anyone has an idea for an event and they are on a budget please get in touch. We may be able to help.

Liam.

Sosa

Liam706 wrote: »

Hi All,

I tried to get a marathon up and running in Waterford for this year. This project had alot of backing from people within the council, patrons of other marathons and running events both from home & abroad and members of the community giving up their time. Unfortunately I was unable to get the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club who felt the event would have an adverse impact on the half marathon event. This is very understandable as the half marathon is the WAC's main event in the year. It has to be mentioned that the half marathon event is a very worth while event, and the marathon was planned for November in order to coincide with the City's plans for the Christmas promotion of the City Centre.

Without the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club it is impossible to get the AAI permit signed, which is a requirement to have the event endorsed by the Athletics Association of Ireland. Furthermore the idea of this event was to help the City in a time when a boost to the economy was and is so badly needed, not to upset people or groups who already do so much for the people of this City anyway.

We believe we came close but unfortunatley it wasn't to be. Please check out www.waterfordchristmasmarathon.com and let me know what you thought of our logo.

I would like to add if anyone has an idea for an event and they are on a budget please get in touch. We may be able to help.

Liam.

Hey Liam,
Nice try but you have to understand WAC's stance on this,they had nearly 1000 participants last Dec and probably hope to have more this year,if you hosted a marathon in Nov,that number would be halved at best.

Why dont you try get it organised for some other time of the year ?
Maybe to coincide with the tall ships next year,or the spraoi w/e (its always cold then ).
Surely there is a time of year when it could be done.
January and Feb would be bad months as there are a few races in the Dungarvan area that runners will want to do..
Mar,April or May would be ideal.

I am sure you would get the guts of 1000 to do it.
Waterford is overflowing with runners,West Wat AC are a huge club and loads would come down from there.
Along with Wexford,Kilkenny and Tipp people making the short journey....it could be a huge success.
I am doing Cork in June but would much rather do it in my home county.

Good luck...i hope you get one for us.

Liam706

Hi Sosa,

Sorry if I came across as having a go at the WAC that was not my intention at all. I did say that the half marathon is a very worthwhile event and that the WAC do a lot of good for the town. I completely understand where the WAC are coming from and I nor anyone who was with me want to upset or go head on against any person or group within the City. We wanted this to be an event that would include and have the backing of everyone.

Completely understand what you are saying about an event during the Tall Ships and Spraoi events. Logistically I feel that would be practically impossible, given the public resources required to 'police' such an event.

If it is a venture you wish to research further I would be happy to assist if I can but it is not one I will be pursuing.

Further to the above, I failed to mention that dates may be suggested for such an event are hard to get due to the congestion on the AAI calender.

Again I want to stress I completely understand the WAC's position on this and in no way am I having anything negative to say about them. In all communications between the WAC and I they were completely amicable, constuctive and helpful. If in any way my original post conveyed any negative feeling towards them then I apologise as this was not my intention.

d-sher

Could this thread be the start of something BIG?????

Cmon lads, Waterford needs a full Marathon!!! I reckon a figure of 1000 people is an extremely conservative number. Would WAC not give the Marathon backing at another time of the year as previously suggested?

It is just such a shame that us Waterford people have (yet again!!) to travel to other parts of Ireland to do something that should be available right on our doorstep. Although the Half Marathon is a great event and is very well run by WAC, the Full Marathon really should take pride of place IMO and would really put us on the map as a major Irish city.

Sosa

Liam706 wrote: »

Hi Sosa,

Sorry if I came across as having a go at the WAC that was not my intention at all. I did say that the half marathon is a very worthwhile event and that the WAC do a lot of good for the town. I completely understand where the WAC are coming from and I nor anyone who was with me want to upset or go head on against any person or group within the City. We wanted this to be an event that would include and have the backing of everyone.

Completely understand what you are saying about an event during the Tall Ships and Spraoi events. Logistically I feel that would be practically impossible, given the public resources required to 'police' such an event.

If it is a venture you wish to research further I would be happy to assist if I can but it is not one I will be pursuing.

Further to the above, I failed to mention that dates may be suggested for such an event are hard to get due to the congestion on the AAI calender.

Again I want to stress I completely understand the WAC's position on this and in no way am I having anything negative to say about them. In all communications between the WAC and I they were completely amicable, constuctive and helpful. If in any way my original post conveyed any negative feeling towards them then I apologise as this was not my intention.

You completely misread me there Liam,i was not having ago at you at all.
I was genuinely saying "nice try" at the start because its a pity it has not happened,not to have a go.
I personally would not be in favour of Nov either,but would like it to happen one day.
I understand the logistics involved especially with the tall ships happening and the spraoi.
I just printed those as i typed really and had not thought about it properly.

I was far from having a go at you,maybe my choice of words were misleading,aplogies again.

and again "nice try"

Liam706

Sosa, I know you were not having a go at me at all, no issue there believe me. I just don't want to come across as being sour in anyway. Believe me I did not take any offence from you whatsoever. Jesus, my wife does that for me lol.

d-sher, I can't speak for WAC but I can say that at no time did I ever get the impression they were against the idea of a Waterford City Marathon, it was more an issue of timing. Unfortunately that still belies the issue. The AAI calender is congested and November was the only month when I could find an available date. Further to this it was a date that fell in line with the Council's action plan for the city centre during the Christmas Retail Period. I can't speak for the council but I am sure they would be supportive of a marathon at anytime but its trying to find a date and time that is suitable to everyone and which is financially viable. By that I mean consideration to the total costings, which are alot.

When I said I would not pursue the venture further I was talking about organising the event during the Tall Ships and Spraoi as I do not believe it is logistically viable, as good as it would be and as much as it would add to two great events.

Below is a link to the AAI calender so you can see just how congested it is.

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?page_id=714#april

Sosa

Liam706 wrote: »

Sosa, I know you were not having a go at me at all, no issue there believe me. I just don't want to come across as being sour in anyway. Believe me I did not take any offence from you whatsoever. Jesus, my wife does that for me lol.

d-sher, I can't speak for WAC but I can say that at no time did I ever get the impression they were against the idea of a Waterford City Marathon, it was more an issue of timing. Unfortunately that still belies the issue. The AAI calender is congested and November was the only month when I could find an available date. Further to this it was a date that fell in line with the Council's action plan for the city centre during the Christmas Retail Period. I can't speak for the council but I am sure they would be supportive of a marathon at anytime but its trying to find a date and time that is suitable to everyone and which is financially viable. By that I mean consideration to the total costings, which are alot.

When I said I would not pursue the venture further I was talking about organising the event during the Tall Ships and Spraoi as I do not believe it is logistically viable, as good as it would be and as much as it would add to two great events.

Below is a link to the AAI calender so you can see just how congested it is.

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?page_id=714#april

The calendar should not put you off Liam.
There are loads of running events nationwide that are on the same day.
We should think about waterford,they dont care about us when they schedule,they are only worried because alot of waterford people travel to these events and would therefore take from them.

I think April or May are good months for a marathon here.
Again,there are other marathons on early May...but so what.
May 3rd is the Wexford half and the Limerick Full.

d-sher

May 23rd looks good too? Nothing Major on it seems?

Liam706

Sosa, I agree that there are number of running events on the same day throughout the country. The problem with a marathon is it is costly and in order to just break even you are depending on people travelling. I don't have the figures to hand but off the top of my head, 90% of the Connemara marathon was run from persons who are from outside the county, in 2008 43% of the Dublin marathon is run by foreign entrants. There are more examples of this but as I said I do not have the facts and numbers to hand.

If a marathon is to compete against a similar and established event you could drastically reduce the numbers taking part as well as gain alot of ill-feeling towards the event from like minded people. This would be bad for a return on investment as well as bad publicity.

One of the reasons November was originally mooted was because they're no marathon in Ireland and only one in Britain in that month. The nearest competitor for November was the New York marathon, which was not expected to have a heavy impact on the Waterford event for obvious reasons lol. The only other event was the Luton marathon in December. We felt that since Luton have placed a time limit on their event of 5 hrs, not many people had travelled to that event from Ireland (2 last year).

You can appreciate from this that the risk to myself financially is much greater in taking on an established event.

d-sher, I must admit I did not see May 23rd, however to get a marathon organised in a little over two months might be asking abit too much. I just put the calender link there just to show how congested it is. However it is something to bear in mind for next year. I will definately look into it.

I am not trying to extinguish any enthusiasm for a marathon event but I have done alot of research into it when compiling a Business Plan. If you or anyone else here wants to embark on this venture for the periods you are suggesting we would be happy to sit down and discuss what we can offer. That also includes any other type of event.

runsalot

this would be great.

gscully

I entered a marathon once. Serious hard work trying to get the bits of peanut out from under your f*reskin!

seanybiker

ziedth wrote: »

I will, it's the dingle one we all are doing. I'm not built for speed or distance so it should be fun fun.

ah the brothers are doing that one aswell.

Bhoy1967

I would love this to get off the ground. At this stage it doesn't look feasable this year, (well for me to run it anyway!!!) but hopefully in the near future we will have one. It would be great running up the quay and finishing in John Robert's square

Bhoy1967

Liam706 wrote: »

Hi All,

I tried to get a marathon up and running in Waterford for this year. This project had alot of backing from people within the council, patrons of other marathons and running events both from home & abroad and members of the community giving up their time. Unfortunately I was unable to get the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club who felt the event would have an adverse impact on the half marathon event. This is very understandable as the half marathon is the WAC's main event in the year. It has to be mentioned that the half marathon event is a very worth while event, and the marathon was planned for November in order to coincide with the City's plans for the Christmas promotion of the City Centre.

Without the backing of the Waterford Athletics Club it is impossible to get the AAI permit signed, which is a requirement to have the event endorsed by the Athletics Association of Ireland. Furthermore the idea of this event was to help the City in a time when a boost to the economy was and is so badly needed, not to upset people or groups who already do so much for the people of this City anyway.

We believe we came close but unfortunatley it wasn't to be. Please check out www.waterfordchristmasmarathon.com and let me know what you thought of our logo.

I would like to add if anyone has an idea for an event and they are on a budget please get in touch. We may be able to help.

Liam.

Hi Liam,

It's good to know that someone who knows what is involved in setting up an event of this magnitude is plugging away in the background trying to organise this. Sorry to hear that your initial attempts were knocked back by the WAC. It's a shame, I can't understand how a full marathon would impact on a half marathon? Could it be run as one event similar to Cork's marathon. They facilitate a half marathon and relays. This would increase entrant numbers also.

I know it is probably a bit late for this year but it is something that could be considered going forward.

Best of luck mate and I'm sure you have the backing of the city in your efforts, well you have mine anyway

d-sher

In addition Liam,

I would be delighted to get involved and give any help I could to get this off the ground for next year if you needed an extra pair of hands!

Sosa

I hear a whisper that we will have a full marathon in 2012 either the last Sat in June or first Sat in July....anyone know any more on this ?

Spins

Interesting?

gscully

Sosa wrote: »

I hear a whisper that we will have a full marathon in 2012 either the last Sat in June or first Sat in July....anyone know any more on this ?

It's not a whisper. It's happening alright, but don't expect it to be a spectator-lined route like Dublin. It'll incorporate the Tramore Rd and there'll be no-one out there to offer encouragement. I'd imagine it won't appeal to many fun-runners / first-timers / walkers.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056201358&page=2