Road Racing/Road Running ,why does one get support ?

Russell Smith
Russell Smith Posts: 229
edited August 2009 in Amateur race
2 Sports that require road closures, have multiple entrants, require local authority and police organisation. They would appear the same.

One gets support and one doesn't why ??

Comments

  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    A few team mates have discussed with the council (trying to get city centre crits running again), and basically the answer is "just because".
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    Well since the police did their damndest to stop last year my running club's 10K, I'm not really sure what you mean...

    I think the police have limited manpower and budgets, plus targets to meet for arrests and so on - so assisting with sporting events isn't something they want to do anymore.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    andy_wrx wrote:
    Well since the police did their damndest to stop last year my running club's 10K, I'm not really sure what you mean...

    I think the police have limited manpower and budgets, plus targets to meet for arrests and so on - so assisting with sporting events isn't something they want to do anymore.

    We do!

    We are just slaves to the home office directives.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    Russell Smith wrote:
    2 Sports that require road closures, have multiple entrants, require local authority and police organisation. They would appear the same.

    One gets support and one doesn't why ??

    1000 athletes paying 10quid each.
    80 athletes paying 10quid each.

    One event has significantly higher budget to pay for the road closures.
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    Fun Run. 10,000 entrants. 10km closed roads.
    Sportive. 1,000 entrants. 160km closed roads?
    Rich
  • Russell Smith
    Russell Smith Posts: 229
    Sorry not to have replied before, the question wasn't really aimed at Sportives in general, but at Road Racing, that multiple lap (4x13 milesexample) Road Racing is no different to one lap of 13 for a Half Marathon, and gets support and the other doesn't.

    Russ
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Cost. 60 riders or 500 runners. Which will produce the greater income?
    My Fleet.
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408
    Russell Smith wrote:
    Sorry not to have replied before, the question wasn't really aimed at Sportives in general, but at Road Racing, that multiple lap (4x13 milesexample) Road Racing is no different to one lap of 13 for a Half Marathon, and gets support and the other doesn't.

    Russ

    How many half marathons do you know of that actually use closed roads? A handful and those are the types that people have rightly said attract upto 10,000 runners - a very small minority.

    My own clubs half marathon used to start and finish in/near the town centre and run through the town centre. When the race was in the town centre the roads would've been shared with traffic.

    For about the last 15 years it's been moved out to a few different village starting points, runs nowhere near town and has no police presence whatsoever. The roads are shared with traffic and actually happen to be quiet village lanes that are used by some road races round this area. The race attracts around 1,000 participants, and is classed as a pretty large race.

    The other thing is, road racing whatever anyone says is fairly elitist, only a miniscule proportion of the population actually road race/have the ability to road race. Where as pretty much anyone can turn out (with training) to a half marathon or 10k, granted the vast majority wouldn't be highly competitive, but it's more inclusive. I would actually class road running events as similar to sportives in that people tend to treat them as a challenge to complete the course, or beat their best time for the distance.

    If a running race decides it wants a road closed/police support the organisers will have to pay for it, the same as if a road race would, or even policing of a football match. So I wouldn't say that road running gets any more support that road racing.
  • Slow1972
    Slow1972 Posts: 362
    "hammerite wrote:
    If a running race decides it wants a road closed/police support the organisers will have to pay for it, the same as if a road race would, or even policing of a football match. So I wouldn't say that road running gets any more support that road racing.

    I agree about no greater or less support but the problem lies in the point that its not the road race organisers "deciding" they want road closures or increased police support its the police making those demands of them and then levying that charge on the organiser. If its not acceptable, then no race. As you point out its the numbers where the problems lie - if both your 1000 runner event and a 60 entry limit road race are both deemed to need a couple of plod, the cost is spread a lot thinner in a 1000 entry running race than 60 entry road race

    As you say, a large field running race is actually more akin to a sportive than a proper road race
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    Slow1972 wrote:
    I agree about no greater or less support but the problem lies in the point that its not the road race organisers "deciding" they want road closures or increased police support its the police making those demands of them and then levying that charge on the organiser. If its not acceptable, then no race.
    Just heard that Thames Valley Police (Bucks, Oxon & Berks) are requesting 2 changes for 2010 from BC Central Region organisers:
    1) Only 1 race on a circuit at a time (so double promotions with an E/1/2 & 3/4 on at the same time will no longer be permitted)
    2) Any courses with a downhill section through a 30mph zone will require a full Road Closure Notice

    This 2nd requirement will make a lot of local courses unusable and put more pressure on the courses that do comply.
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • Dess1e
    Dess1e Posts: 239
    Bronzie wrote:
    Slow1972 wrote:
    I agree about no greater or less support but the problem lies in the point that its not the road race organisers "deciding" they want road closures or increased police support its the police making those demands of them and then levying that charge on the organiser. If its not acceptable, then no race.
    Just heard that Thames Valley Police (Bucks, Oxon & Berks) are requesting 2 changes for 2010 from BC Central Region organisers:
    1) Only 1 race on a circuit at a time (so double promotions with an E/1/2 & 3/4 on at the same time will no longer be permitted)
    2) Any courses with a downhill section through a 30mph zone will require a full Road Closure Notice

    This 2nd requirement will make a lot of local courses unusable and put more pressure on the courses that do comply.

    I thought it was a down hill finish through a 30mph zone that will require a full Road Closure Notice?
    www.kentonrc.co.uk
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    Dess1e wrote:
    I thought it was a down hill finish through a 30mph zone that will require a full Road Closure Notice?
    From Ian Chatfield's email:
    "They are also introducing a compulsory requirement for downhill sections in 30mph zones to have a Road Closure notice. As far as I am aware there are no courses in the Thames Valley area that meet that."

    See you at the race organisers meeting on the 4th Oct?
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels

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