Dublin Marathon 2021

bucketybuck

This is just inane. If you think that in July 2021 that the organisers had any assurances worth a damn that would allow them to commit to organising a marathon in Dublin then I don't know what to say.

The Davestator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832109#Comment_117832109

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-now-has-one-of-the-fastest-vaccination-rates-data-shows-1.4617482

If only they had some way of knowing how the vaccination rollout was going and where the country might be in a couple of months

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832050#Comment_117832050

I can't claim to be up to speed on all the announcements in Ireland, but I don't get the impression that there was any timetable set out in advance of when various restrictions would be lifted?

The UK government did set out that timetable, but it only applied to England, and as shown with the attempts to get parkruns restarted it was a very different process between England and then it happened with Scotland/ Wales/ NI where no advance notice of plans was given by those devolved governments so then restarts of those parkrun countries was much more rushed affair and with only a couple of weeks, or days, notice of when they could restart. For parkruns there is significantly less financial risk or planning around road closures, emergency service provisions, suppliers providing water/ medals/ tshirts, security concerns and staffing, recruiting of volunteers to man water stations, arranging Expos and numbers...etc...etc.

Without the actual time table on restrictions being published large events cannot take those risks. When would DCM have needed to get permission for road closures? Would that have been forthcoming months ago do you think? Can't see the Gardai providing any permissions for mass events months in advance based purely on a prediction from some race organiser that the government would be lifting restrictions on a certain date, but with nothing to prove it other than what they read in their tea leaves/ crystal ball.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832157#Comment_117832157

Again, this is just inane. You are making the same mistake in assuming that the vaccine timetable alone is enough to make plans on, when it is the government decisions that are actually the important factor and the government has been historically cautious in what they will allow.

If vaccine rollout out was enough then maybe electric picnic would have went ahead also. But it wasn't, they needed to be allowed to do these things and that requires more than just pointing at the vaccine rollout.

rovers_runner

This thread will be gold to read back on in 12 months time when this is all a distant memory.

Another indicator of the direction the country was going early in the summer:

May 31st:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/pup-to-be-phased-out-in-three-stages-with-first-cut-of-50-in-september-40489439.html

The Govt moved to cut the PUP starting in Sept, clearly indicating we were not going back to restrictions on movement or gatherings. That was 5 weeks before the marathon was cancelled on July 7th.

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832214#Comment_117832214

You don't make plans for holding mass participation events based on a government announcement about unemployment benefits.

MayoSalmon

People in this thread still glad the DCM was cancelled in July KNOWING that virtually the whole country would be vaccinated come October even in a worse case scenario. Ireland was giving away ventilators to India last April while we were supposedly in a pandemic.

The last 18 months has been utterly mind numbing.

Remember when people wouldn't venture past their 5k on a run and were proud of it?!...what hope did we actually have in hindsight😂

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832265#Comment_117832265

The PUP was a payment to cover the period when the economy was parked. That announcement at the end of May was clearly informing the public that things were going to change at the start of Sept. You cannot withdraw supports for people without allowing them earn a living.

Here we are Sept 1st, full capacity on public transport, people being encouraged back to the office. Watch how quick employment contracts are referred to.

Burkie1203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117835027#Comment_117835027

October 30th

event

Yeah those volunteers sure are idiots. They have been made to look like such fools, cant believe it. All those volunteers should resign. Cant wait for next year. 2022 is going to be amazing with all the knowledge on this thread alone joining the organizing committee, going to be the best marathon in the world.

Glencarraig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117743432#Comment_117743432

Only if you are a "Senior" athlete. No places for Master athletes, not even those who won age cat medals in Dublin 2019.

The Davestator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117837093#Comment_117837093

Still banging on defending the decision 😝

The reality is that EVERYONE knew what the vaccination rates would be.

Was there a guarantee? No. Was it highly probable it would be allowed? absolutely.

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839194#Comment_117839194

But without any guarantees from government, or possibility of getting any kind of insurance to cover a government u turn then who was going to cover the cost for DCM? They couldn't afford to take that risk. They held out as long as they could, but with no guarantee for those risks their safest option was to cancel, however much they would have been expecting restrictions to be lifted by October.

It's all about who was going to cover the costs.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117839194#Comment_117839194

Still banging on slating volunteers. It's very easy to hurl from the ditch as usual.

Majority of people here couldn't organise a p1ss up in a brewery yet have no bother criticising a group of people who had to try to organise an event for 25k people during an unprecedented pandemic.

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832290#Comment_117832290

Understanding why they did it is very different to being glad they did it, a child would understand the difference.

Its crazy that people cannot understand that you need "guarantees" to stage an event like that. Not confidence, not faith, not media articles or releases about unrelated issues like PUP, not predicted timetables for vaccines.

"Guarantees", from the people with the authority to give those guarantees.

Here is a guarantee from me, if any of the backseat drivers in here were the ones who had to make the decision I guarantee they would have had no choice but to do exactly the same thing.

Van.Bosch

was there no scope to move it to March/April I wonder?

franciscanpunk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117844826#Comment_117844826

Prob same issues and unknowns in mar or april 2022 as there is now

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117846889#Comment_117846889

Which is why London 2022 has been pushed back to October as its a safer bet than April.

franciscanpunk

TBF if London have an event in oct 2021 they might be a bit steched to have another 6 months later given the planning involved

event

For everyone who was moaning, saying its a joke etc. I see The Race in donegal was on this weekend. Cancelled today with about 3 days notice. Had only 100 entrants. But the insurance company pulled out so no option.

This is one of the reasons races are being cancelled, the bloody insurance situation in Ireland. No guarantees at all unfortunately

The Davestator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902051#Comment_117902051

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117843130#Comment_117843130

In other news, lots and lots of events taking place all over the country with no insurance issues.

Supercell

Thats mad, I ran a 10k in Roundwood, Wicklow last weekend with around 170 runners, all went ahead just fine (BBQ at the end and all!).

At the rate we are headed are all mass participation events in southern Ireland going to be cancelled for years because of the insurance companies?

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902051#Comment_117902051

Well if that happened they should name and shame the insurers.

I would be sceptical until we actually have proof of that. Parkrun is back up and functioning all over the country except for the curtain twitchers in Dublin. There are multiple events which have already happened in the last few weeks and will continue to happen from now, we aren't going back despite the large amount of people who still want to go backwards.

I see the latest excuse put forward by DCM is they would have had to have to order too many crash barriers to maintain social distancing. How about no barriers except for start/finish area and just have people space out according to their common sense around the course, sure they have only 52 mile of roadside to fit into.............

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902715#Comment_117902715

Some insurers will cover and some won't. That's sorta the point.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902788#Comment_117902788

Common sense. From the general public? The general public are idiots.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902738#Comment_117902738

Ireland is a joke for insurance companies, they get away with absolute murder from hiking premiums to just pulling out at the last minute.

Trampas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902051#Comment_117902051

What did the insurance company say? Seems strange they cancelled a valid policy for no reason during its term

event

How would I know what the insurance company said?

It does show that people wdon't believe race organisers it seems. A few have now said that seems unlikely, or why would they etc. Why anyone wants to organise a race is beyond me tbh. Constant criticism or questioning of decisions

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911225#Comment_117911225

Event organisers have often pulled the plug if entries are too low to cover costs, not usually as last minute as this though.

It's a handy excuse to point to some external reason outside of their control.

Sunny Dayz

Ask a stupid question - you'll get a stupid answer!!! 😁

If you haven't done a marathon training block, would the virtual be doable with a run-walk method? Not doing it for time.

I don't know why - as soon it was announced as virtual I said no. But now as others I know are all chat about the virtual or other marathons I'm starting to get FOMO!! Plus I've gotten so much wear out of my beanie and tshirt from last year, I kinda want another one!!

Was thinking of doing the virtual with husband. I started back running properly in June after stop/start in the first half of the year and am happy enough with my progress, although I haven't done much past 10km, my paces have been improving. Himself hasn't done as much running although he jogged/walked JFK 50 mile last month so he's pure stubborn!