Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


New route under fire as 10,000 tackle run in sun

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 04 May 2009
By FIONA MACLEOD
A RECORD 10,000 runners took to the streets of the Capital yesterday for the fifth Bupa Great Edinburgh Run.
Competitors from across the world converged on Edinburgh for the 10km event, which was televised live for the first time this year.

Changes to the route saw some runners complain of being slowed down by bottlenecks at Princes Street Gardens and on the Mound.

Jim Campbell, from Edinburgh, who completed the new route in 48 minutes, said: "At one point a guy behind me said if it got any narrower, we'd be running in single file.

"But there was a great atmosphere with it being televised, and on the whole it was really well organised."

Another runner, Adam Mahoney, agreed, saying that despite the bottlenecks the event proved a good showcase for the city.

A spokeswoman for the run organisers said: "We always conduct a full review with all the partner organisations, and we will take all the feedback on board and make appropriate changes if they are needed."

From athletes to hen nights to fire fighters running in full protective gear, the city streets were dominated by participants in the 10km run.

The annual event, which normally begins in the Meadows, was moved this year to begin on George IV Bridge.

In part, the aim was to give the Meadows a rest, as the grass there has suffered from hosting too many events in the past year.

The organisers said the new start point was chosen to bring the event into the heart of the city. However, runners trying to beat their personal best were forced to slow down at narrow sections. "We were standing there for two minutes," said one runner. "It was frustrating."

The men's race was won by Micah Kogo of Kenya, with a time of 28.13 minutes.

The women's title was won by Deena Kastor of the United States, with 32.38 minutes.

Organisers last night estimated the event, now one of the largest road races in Britain, had raised about £1 million for various charities.

Former Hearts, Hibs and Scotland star Darren Jackson set competitors off. Competitive athletes joined celebrities such as Coronation Street star Vicky Binns, and a team of 250 pupils, staff and parents from Edinburgh's Merchiston Castle School raised more than £40,000 in support of rugby charity Hearts and Balls, after a pupil was injured in a rugby accident last year.

Andy Mitchelmore of event organiser Nova International said: "I'd like to thank everyone who took part for making it the most successful Bupa Great Edinburgh Run yet."


Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 03 May 2009 11:51 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Runs in Edinburgh
 
1

Son of Gramsci,

Embra 04/05/2009 00:17:55
I had a bad feeling about the new route as soon as I saw it. However, I think that the organisers made things much worse by sending the Merchiston Castle lot off just before the "white wave" (about 50-60 mins time expected.) Since they were running as a big group, and some of them were not matching this pace, the whole white wave backed up behind them.

2km of walking or slow jogging.

Rubbish organisaton, really, as they could have done all their good charity bit and started a bit later, and not got in the bloody way.
2

GrahamR,

Edinburgh 04/05/2009 02:37:34
Last year there had been time to spread out by the time we came down the Mound, went along Princes Street, and were funnelled into Waverley Bridge. This year there was a complete logjam as hundreds of runners tried to get into the narrow path to the south of the Scott Monument.

The merging start and end points for the run made it necessary to get everyone started before the elite womens' race finished. So there was no possibility of longer gaps between waves.

The finish was also congested. Why wasn't Parliament Square used? Keeping to the road meant at least 15 minutes from finishing to getting medal and getting room to try to cool down and stretch. (Not to be recommended just from the point of avoiding pain tomorrow.)

The Meadows was so much better. I suppose that the City are rightly recognising that events on the Meadows can cause damage to the turf. And having some tents put up on Saturday and taken down on Monday might cause some damage. (I'll believe that a lot more when I find that they will also be stopping tents or fairgrounds being set up in July and taken down in September.)

The guys from Merchiston Castle were doing their best but it was quite obvious that some of them just couldn't keep up the pace. Good on them for trying, but maybe they could have been a little more aware of the difficulties their groups of four or five caused for people trying to run past them.

Overall it was quite a nice event. I hope that the problems are sorted out for next year.
3

eric,

lothian 04/05/2009 08:04:40
i have ran in many runs since mid 80s,this was the worst orginized,dont think id bother doing this one again,But well done to everyone who took part.
4

NP,

Edinburgh 04/05/2009 09:18:02
The new start and finish position certainly ruined any of the great atmosphere of the meadows plus the new 'cattle run feature' at the start meant that anyone going for a best time was scuppered from the start.

Agree with #1 and #2 - the Merchiston guys should have definitely been behind the white wave - their numbers and steady walking pace was a real obstruction.

5

PC McGarry#452,

Greggs for a chelsea bun 04/05/2009 11:44:11
The 2 bottlenecks totally scuppered any PB chances and I was a full 5 minutes off my PB. The location and weather were great but the first 2km need sorted. Loadsa burds though :)
6

Sumpplareasswholes,

Edinburgh 04/05/2009 12:32:47
And what a coup!!
Darren Jackson starting the race.
If that is the best we as a Capital City can do in a recession then we are all doomed!
7

Farky,

Back to the Meadows - PLEASE! 04/05/2009 16:44:36
I am sure the organisers tried their hardest but it was an awful place to start and finsih. Runners had no time whatsoever to disperse before the bottlenecks. I also though that on a few street the whole road should have been available, not just a lane taped off. Trying to overtake someone is such a narrow track isn't easy. A good run but I never came near the time I was planning which was 40 minutes.

Back to the meadows for 2010!
8

Andy V,

Edinburgh 04/05/2009 19:14:10
Having nearly died sprinting to the finish it was a bit of a pain to then have to queue to cross the finishing line! It defeats the point of chip timing.
9

Finbarr Saunders,

05/05/2009 08:21:53
Personal bests? Sprint finishes?

It was a wee charity fun run for God's sake!

I bet you are the same sort of guys who take a wee kick-a-bout in the park with the bairns far too seriously, with calls of "offside" and "man on"!


 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.