2022 Raheny 5 mile

Wottle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559176#Comment_118559176

I've just shared that with a few I coach as most would have pb'd, cheers

Wottle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559239#Comment_118559239

In fairness it hasn't even been 24hours giving the 3pm start time.

Raheny is a great race and definitely they have a lot of good will built up over the previous 37 years.

A couple of things I'd like to see change, cut the numbers, it's too crowded and change the start time, 3pm on a Sunday makes the day a write off. Maybe noon to allow for those traveling.

I should add, I didn't do it this year but I did run it either 2019 or 2020.

ultrapercy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559239#Comment_118559239

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.

ultrapercy

sk8board

It’s a good point above about the goodie bags - the crowd for the plaque was the same as the one for handing out individual bars and bottles etc, so just giving everyone one ‘grab and go’ bag would have seemed to make more sense retrospectively.

I'm the OP on this thread btw, pre-race - I think we can all agree it was a great to be racing!

I also did Antrim and Belfast as it happens - i didn’t lose any sleep over any of them.

let’s see what happens in Trim and Dungarvan for the 10milers next Sunday. They’ll be sending lads out to run the courses this week 😂

Rossi7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559484#Comment_118559484

What happened - cone put too far down

How it happened - no one bothered to measure the course

Raheny must be waiting on Sue Gray to finish up her other report before drawing up their's

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560124#Comment_118560124

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

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559484#Comment_118559484

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

We are aware of reports regarding the course being long. We are currently investigating this issue, and will issue a statement as soon as we have all the facts

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

The Black Oil

Update from just before 2pm.

https://twitter.com/AXARaheny5/status/1488148921809620999

Rossi7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560307#Comment_118560307

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

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560402#Comment_118560402

It's the same course as it has been for at least the last two or three years, which were all the correct distance. This year, the placement of the turn-around cone was wrong. How would re-measuring the course have prevented that, unless it was re-measured after the cone was placed?

Rossi7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560415#Comment_118560415

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

SeeMoreBut

Stewards enquiry. Sounds like a horse race. Wouldn’t have taken someone a 30 minutes to go around on a bike to check things.

Down to it’s fine

Runster

I wonder if someone walking by acting the maggot could've taken the cone and placed it where it was while nobody from the race was looking?

Or a disgruntled Raheny volunteer who was put on a duty they didn't like?

MissyN

Honestly I’m just so relieved that I didn’t go way off in that race! I couldn’t understand how I had the additional distance.

it’s a great race and all that but this sort of thing shouldn’t happen. People use these races to gauge how the training is going & compare to previous 5 mile races. Looks really bad.

Mitch Buchannon

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/

John_Rambo

Maybe they should make it the Raheny 5.3

Like the 1908 Marathon in the London games that was extended from 25 miles to 26.2 to accommodate the royals.

robinph

Someone told to place the cone in the same place as normal. What the 3rd tree along from the lamp post? Yep, that's the one. Someone else has meanwhile chopped down a tree or counted their trees from the wrong direction and nobody else went along to double check because its only a cone and Bob always puts it in the same place so will be fine.

Easy mistake to make, most common error in courses but easiest to overlook as people don't think of cones as being that critical.

rovers_runner

What's with the bullshit about being the first event since restrictions were lifted, there have been dozens.

Someone placed a cone wrong, say sorry and move on.

OOnegative

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118572073#Comment_118572073

SeeMoreBut

Maybe a boris fan with the response

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118572612#Comment_118572612

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.

Swashbuckler

It's a long established race with a massive standard field that had a hiccup this year. Get over it. Nobody died. This crap about the goody bag is even more annoying. Good god people get some perspective.

I'd say one thing if they were screwing people out of money but it was a small feck up and will absolutely never happen again you can be guaranteed of that.

BKWDR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118573247#Comment_118573247

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.

sk8board

my initial reaction yesterday was that the press release reads like their nose is firmly out of joint with the criticism, which is a fair stance to have. Amateur clubs will always close-ranks when criticised. It used 1,000 words where 100 would have sufficed, but with an appropriate apology at the very end.

It was a great day, a few things to iron out, and we can all move on!

Mos Eisley

Hi

Just wondering if anyone here knows if masters prizes were posted out? I finished 2nd in my cat but haven't received anything yet.

Thanks

Murph_D

Hi Mos - I’m a Raheny member - Am not familiar with the prize structure but I’d email the club info@rahenyshamrock.ie if you haven’t already.

Well done on the podium.

Mos Eisley

Thanks Murph_D, already sent a few mails but got no reply. Not great from them to be honest

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824667#Comment_118824667

That's surprising. If you PM me your details I'll make some enquiries on your behalf.

Edit: this is what was posted here re prize collection:

_______

Prize Presentation

The Prize Presentation for the top three men and women and top three teams will take place at approximately 4pm close to the finish line.

All other prizes can be collected at the race HQ at Raheny National School. Please note there will be no gathering for a presentation this year.

Prizes are available for the top 10 men and women. Top three runners in all age categories and the top three men’s and women’s teams and top three men’s and women’s masters teams

________

Given that the category prizes, as far as I'm aware, are usually random electrical/household items (toaster, hairdryer, George Foreman grill, etc.) postage might not be feasible.

Mos Eisley

Just surprised they didn't reply, or send a note to say what the prize was. You have probably nailed in the fact that I didn't wait around at the end of the race for the prizegiving and I certainly don't expect them to post electrical items. Thanks for your comments