105 replies to this topic

[loubee]

It was a massive personal worst for me today but I had a great time and just happy to have run. I was up vomiting until late and went to bed resigned to the fact I wouldn't run at all. When I woke up I was feeling okay, the weather was perfect so I decided to drop down to the 12k and enjoy the day. Fast forward to standing on half mara start line with friends thinking I'm completely mad . Anyway took a few walk breaks up hills with friends in the mara, lots of drinks and just kept going finishing in 2.09ish.

Lot of carnage in the last couple of k's with people collapsing and on drips which is never pleasant and made me think my decison to run may not have been very smart. I had so much to drink at every stop though and finished feeling good so managed to keep very well hydrated.

Diasaster start for the elites in the half with mass confusion by volunteers and presumably the pacer. Not sure what happened but they passed me which means they had missed the Kings Park turn off by at least a kilometre befroe backtracking. Hope those frontrunners were able to catch up but I believe a good 100+ runners were caught in the mess.

Bag drop off and pick up excellent, train service to start great and buses out also good. Tshirt paticulary bad. No gels for mid to late marathoners and the water stops were a debacle, I would have lost at least 3mins waiting for water in various drink stops.

Look froward to more reports and hopefully some far better runs than mine .

[3rdGear]

I got caught up in the half confusion - we headed down the correct way at the top of Kings Park and someone called out that it was the wrong way after 150m so we headed back and then got turned around so ran 1km extra.  Meant it went from being a race to a "fun" run in the first 2km so very disappointing.  A few just bailed and some of us tried to make the time back up but 1km is the difference between my best and worst times so I pretty much gave up at 6km and took it very leisurely.

I don't think the elites were caught up in it although maybe one of the elite women was.  I think it was those looking at 1:20-1:30 who got caught up in it.   I think we had lost sight of the elites at the top of the hill and this added to the confusion.

A lesson to be learnt about studying the course map and not listening to others!!  However, where the 12km course merged with the mara/half there were a lot of 12km'ers mixing at they had a slightly different course so I guess the course could've been better marshalled at the points where it merges or loops back on itself.

Not really the standard you'd expect of a big city run.

[HWAC93]

loubee, on Aug 29 2010, 12:46 PM, said:

Diasaster start for the elites in the half with mass confusion by volunteers and presumably the pacer. Not sure what happened but they passed me which means they had missed the Kings Park turn off by at least a kilometre befroe backtracking. Hope those frontrunners were able to catch up but I believe a good 100+ runners were caught in the mess.

Yes, the Half start was an utter debacle for the elites and 100+ frontrunners.  
Instead of turning into Fraser Ave at the top of Malcolm St, we were led by the lead cyclist all the way down Kings Park Rd to Thomas St and then back up to Fraser Ave.  Must have added a good 3k+.  So there were two races today - a 21.1k for some and a 24k or so for the rest of us.  Not sure how they'll sort out the placings.  Would have been better if they had just let everyone do the same lead cyclist detour (at least then there would have been only one (approx 24k) race and one set of relevant results).
Perhaps the race director can explain what briefing was given to the lead cyclist?
Doesn't make Perth look very sophisticated if we can't even get the simple stuff right. (The elite runners from over east must have been well impressed.)
Well done everyone who ran in the races.

[turtle-runner]

Good to hear you finished Lou, i was a bit worried with seeing all the colapsed people on the course as to how you would go - but great time considering how you felt.  

Fantastic weather, and as a half marathoner did wish we started at least half an hour earlier, though understand that the organisers wanted to give the marathoners a good start, especially since most half marathoners couldn't keep left going into Kings Park and made it a little tough for the Marathoners coming out.  Water in Kings Park was a mess - well done to the volunteers doing their best, but I too lost a good couple of minutes trying to get water.   And I reckon a contributing factor to how many ppl were collapsing around Perry Lakes as getting water was very difficult and with the warm weather it is not good to not be able to get fluid in.   It was a PW for me with a time on my watch about 2:04 (though a PB for the course as first time doing the C2S Half Marathon).... but I know the training has not been as it should, and my damn toes starting giving me grief again about 12km.... really must go speak to someone about it as it does slow me down for a couple of km's

Clothing drop off was great, though some rubbish bins at the start would of been good - I felt bad having to put my Banana skin on the ground with others, but even though I looked - no rubbish bins.  Was good being able to cheer on some of the Marathoners coming through too.  

The dividing the organisers provided was good, except through Kings Park, I did really feel for the Marathoners (I know how I felt last year and the last thing you would want is a fresh runner getting in your way!!)  Though the 12k's that decided it would be much nicer to walk or jog on the marathon / half marathon side were a little annoying, but I did enjoy the face of the 12's when the groups went different ways and they had to scarper back to their own group or risk as they thought doing 21km.

The finishing area I found disorganised and a mess - all I wanted at the end was a drink of something and with the masses it was so difficult.... one reason to be a marathoner - you get your own little finishing area.  But chip dropped off..... drink and medal received.... it was time to find the clothing and by time I did this I didn't really want to go find friends in the mess of ppl...so off to catch the bus which was suprising well organised.

Sorry for not coming back to find out how others went - but I just wanted to get home, shower and have a nice cup of tea.

So wrap up - great weather, ok run..... but 3 main areas of concern.....Rubbish points at the start.....WATER...... and finishing area - coming in with all those 12k's was not pleasent.

Next run Fremantle 10km then Fremantle Half.......OH  - And GO THE DOCKERS!!!  

[CQ1]

I was one of those that did the full extra section and it was not because I didn't study the course.

A group of us turned into Kings Park after ignoring others who straight on, but after 150 or so metres an official turned us back.  Didn't think anything of it (even when we looped back as the stewards didn't say anything) until I hit Kings Park again and we run into chaos.  It was quite a major chunk of the runners just outside elite as I ran round with a girl who was looking a top ten finish.  

To realise after seeing the "official" 3k marker having already having run around 24 mins was a bit of a kick in the bo!!ocks to be fair.  Luckily I can use it as a training run for Sydney Marathon in 3 weeks.

Maybe I was just a grumpy sod at that stage but the finish area was a shambles as well.

Last years C2S marathon - no km markers
This years C2S HM - ~24km

On a positive a big thank you as always to the volunteers on water stations (as was mentioned earlier some were fighting a losing battle in Kings Park to try and get people water) and the volunteers in general who do a great job.

Roll on Sydney.....

Edited by CQ1, 29 August 2010 - 04:00 PM.

[Zeno]

Hi everyone - ran the marathon today and was stoked to come in at 3.15.   5 minutes off my PB!     The marathon organisation was exellent - I cycled to the city and then walked to the start.      It was very quiet with only the marathon runners in the city for the 6.30 start.    A bit of warm up and then off at 6.30.     The stewarding was excellent and a big difference having the marathon and 1/2, 12k seperate - it was so much easier to see the turn offs and to be directed on the route.       I was at 1.39 at the 21k point and kept up a 4.30 ish pace until about 37k when the last couple of hills into city beach knocked me for 6.  Slowed to about 5.50 pace up the hills and then back to 4.30 down.    Came in to a great crowd at city beach - lots of cheering and clapping!  

The course was great - with the marathon starting early - it was nice and easy to get to the water stations, not too crowded.       The skins tent afterwards for massage was a bit slow - but to be expected.      There was a definte shortage of water at the finishing enclosure - we saw heaps of volounteers running about filling boxes with cups of water and brining them to de-hydrated marathon runners.      A bit of sand hike to get back to the buses to town - but not too crowded.

Another great event - from the marathon point of view.

Zed

[christo64]

Got to Narrows carpark around 8.30am to see a huge stream of marathoners coming back from UWA end of Mts Bay Rd to city again. So, so many marathon runners. I managed to see Steve Dunn, Silvio Wurth and a few others and gave them a rev up. My 11yo niece Sarah was  a little nervous standing among the human forest in Section B. The sections should have had the start group  letters prominently displayed. We'd walked all the way over to busport side of Esplanade Park and then realised B group was over near Supreme Court Gardens end.

This was a big, big effort for Sarah but she ran on bravely to knock off the 12kms in 1hr10mins. She's only just turned 11yo so I think she'll be eligible to give the 12kms another crack next year in U12s and will definitely have a sub 1hr time in her sights.  I managed to see Jono (Trailblazer) running along Kings Park Rd looking strong. Saw the fancy dress dudes (ambulance, doctor, etc) doing the mara and gave them a rev too.

Young Sarah still had a big of a nagging cough, a stitch and a 'funny' tummy. She put in a very brave effort. My son, Matt has been doing heaps of running lately but opted out of the 12kms. His first effort as an 11yo at 51min 58sec was actually faster than when he did it as a 12yo.

I think when he steps back into the fray he'd like to think he's well capable of sub 50mins and then some.
At Oceanic Drive, Sarah coughing quite a bit, unable to take deep breaths. (Funny cause just when she told me, we saw someone holding a sign saying Breathe deeply!!

A great day and good organisation at the end with quick access to medals, drinks, and buses.

I'm thinking of stepping back into the 'arena' with the Freo half coming up and the Freo Fun Run.

Well done to all you marathoners, half maras and 12kms runners.

Huge, huge event. My hat off to my young niece who showed some resolve and determination out there today. You rock Sarah.....now back to our training at Deepwater Pt......mwahahaha!!

Reservoir folks.

CHRISTO

[Nate]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the half. I did the marathon and the organisation was good. My race went well for the first half and then went to hell. Splits were, 1:31 & 1:47 to go 3:18. Disappointed not to get a pb, but lots of things went wrong. For starters i made the mistake of assuming there would be water at the marshalling area, didn't drink for an hour before the race. Started hungry and this led to cramps and stomach issues. At 30k i knew i wasn't going to have a good one, so just mailed it in and tried not to do too much damage. Massage afterwards was real nice.

Looking forward now to freo half and then Rotto.

[Kilee]

First off congrats to all those who ran today.  I was a spectator on the corner of Kings Park road and Fraser ave and it was a horrible site to see.  Confusion, anger and volunteers having no idea what they were doing and seemed to think that this morning was a great idea for a chin wag and a cup of tea.

Now before I get slammed I am a huge fan of volunteers and when I run I always remember to thank them, however if you chose to volunteer then do your job.  The chaos of the half was rediculous and unnecessary and just plain embarressing for Perth.

For the rest of the event I can only go on Trev's report due to being sidelined sick and he tells me that Kings Park aid stations weren't great with no Gu's and limited access to water.  The sectioned area for the runners heading to the beach was a great improvement on last year however a number of 12km with no respect for the longer distances were still jumping the partitions to access the aid stations.

It was easy enough for me to make it to a number of different viewing locations and the finish line albeit good for me as a spectator a shocker for the marathon finishers.  Making their way through the swarms of people to get to the tent was one thing but the wait to get your goody bag another which didn't contain much at all.  Had we known we would have come prepared.

So there is my rant over, I hope for the organiser's sake that they have a fairly good explanation for the half start otherwise that + the lead girl in the marathon last year going the wrong way into Perry Lakes and the Lead Boys getting a little lost at the uni will not bode well for internationals joining our event.

KG

[E11en]

I had a lovely day plodding through the half.
It was meant to be my first marathon, but I dropped down a couple of weeks ago due to ongoing niggling knee issues. I didn't want to push the knee to far either, so I took it nice and cruisy, finishing in a surprising 2:15ish (which is about 10 minutes faster than last time, despite not "racing" today).

That meant I was slow enough to not get caught up in the mess, so I only just found out about that. Not good!

I know that I directed 3 slightly scared-looking people back onto the right side of the barriers when things split apart, which wasn't too good for them.

I had no issues with water in Kings Park, but did in the middle when the two races combined (so much for the barriers) and it got really cramped and the water stations were swamped. There was no powerade for huge distance in the middle, and no Gu to be seen at all.

I had no real issues with the end. It was hugely crowded, and there were people everywhere, but I managed to hear the announcements about where the HM stuff was, and grabbed a bottle of powerade easily. No water to be seen, but I didn't look hard because I knew we'd have some in our tent.

I was however hugely angered (and increasingly so the more I think about it) when collecting my Tshirt. I didn't actually know that HMers got tshirts, so it was a nice surprise! I went to get it,  and the guy said:
"We only have Large left. You'll have to run faster next year if you want one that fits"

Ouch. I know it was just a flippant comment, and I know I hadn't run it hard, but 2:15 isn't too bad for a weekend warrior. If he'd said "All we've got left is Large, sorry" that would be fine. I'm used to getting hugely oversized tshirts from events. But to be told its my own fault is a bit below the belt.

Overall, I had a lovely day, taking in the views around Kings Park, chatting to fellow racers and remembering why it was that I enjoy long distance runs.

PS: Does anyone know if Flick Your Kit actually happened? I ended up chucking the OHs old trackies under the Clothing wagon, on the directions of the volunteers.

[jockster]

Very disappointed to hear the debacle in the half!  Not good to hear.

On the brighter side I ran the full marathon and it was superb!  Sub3 the icing on the cake.  Major improvements from last year's organisation, Top event!  Wasn't sure how I would go given I had pneumonia 7 weeks ago... started with BigKev on the start line and became his pacer after his Garmin packed it in!  Reckon it didn't want 3hrs of Kev's motormouth!   Kev started dropping off the pace around 12k mark, I went on with about 5or6 others, struggled through KP (seemed harder than last year - maybe that extra detour on the new road...), and then again struggled through perry lakes and oceanic - battling to avoid a few niggling cramps;  

5k splits  (10k splits)
20.14
20.30  (40.44)
20.25
20.44  (41.09) (Half 1.26.18)
20.46
21.03  (41.49)
21.22
22.29  (43.51)  (2nd half 1.31.54)
10.39 for final 2.2k  (and the final 10k took 44.51)
Total = 2.58.12

I was on track for around 2.55/2.56 till 35k, but it warmed up quickly and more than happy with sub3 in the end.

Well done to everyone!

TB Blazing start - nice one to keep up the tradition to kick off the c2s!

Any WR's?

Edited by jockster, 31 August 2010 - 06:43 PM.

[Sahnee]

Hi all!   I am a brand new cool runner, today was my first marathon at Perth City to Surf (photos soon to come!)

I agree with what ppl are saying that the marathon was well run, I think we had the advantage starting earlier, as I found the volunteers seemed to maybe make an extra effort to get water etc out to us marathoners, although maybe it was just cos I looked like I was dying
I never saw any gu gel tho, I was glad I had my own gels. Was I just not looking right?
The other issue I had was being a slow coach I got really tangled up with all the fresh runners in Kings Park. Other than that, an amazing experience and met lots of friendly encouraging runners.

I thought I was going to finish in about 4.30 based on training runs, but went out too fast in the first 20k (argh) and ran out of gels at the 30 k mark, so ended up with 5.15. So happy to have finished and managed to "run" all the way (okay, towards the end more a jog) but just wondering if anyone had thoughts on what is an okay first time, or has had a similar experience??

I was a bit dissapointed but hopefully it means with better traning and plan, there will be big improvement next time!

Edited by Sahnee, 29 August 2010 - 09:06 PM.

[Sahnee]

E11en, on Aug 29 2010, 04:37 PM, said:

I had a lovely day plodding through the half.
It was meant to be my first marathon, but I dropped down a couple of weeks ago due to ongoing niggling knee issues. I didn't want to push the knee to far either, so I took it nice and cruisy, finishing in a surprising 2:15ish (which is about 10 minutes faster than last time, despite not "racing" today).

That meant I was slow enough to not get caught up in the mess, so I only just found out about that. Not good!

I know that I directed 3 slightly scared-looking people back onto the right side of the barriers when things split apart, which wasn't too good for them.

I had no issues with water in Kings Park, but did in the middle when the two races combined (so much for the barriers) and it got really cramped and the water stations were swamped. There was no powerade for huge distance in the middle, and no Gu to be seen at all.

I had no real issues with the end. It was hugely crowded, and there were people everywhere, but I managed to hear the announcements about where the HM stuff was, and grabbed a bottle of powerade easily. No water to be seen, but I didn't look hard because I knew we'd have some in our tent.

I was however hugely angered (and increasingly so the more I think about it) when collecting my Tshirt. I didn't actually know that HMers got tshirts, so it was a nice surprise! I went to get it,  and the guy said:
"We only have Large left. You'll have to run faster next year if you want one that fits"

Ouch. I know it was just a flippant comment, and I know I hadn't run it hard, but 2:15 isn't too bad for a weekend warrior. If he'd said "All we've got left is Large, sorry" that would be fine. I'm used to getting hugely oversized tshirts from events. But to be told its my own fault is a bit below the belt.

Overall, I had a lovely day, taking in the views around Kings Park, chatting to fellow racers and remembering why it was that I enjoy long distance runs.

PS: Does anyone know if Flick Your Kit actually happened? I ended up chucking the OHs old trackies under the Clothing wagon, on the directions of the volunteers.

Wow, that is such an uneccessarily rude comment, why couldn't they have just said a polite sorry but no   I agree with you that one of the highlights is chats w other racers, all so encouraging today!

[3rdGear]

HWAC93, on Aug 29 2010, 03:31 PM, said:

So there were two races today - a 21.1k for some and a 24k or so for the rest of us.  Not sure how they'll sort out the placings.  Would have been better if they had just let everyone do the same lead cyclist detour (at least then there would have been only one (approx 24k) race and one set of relevant results).

I think there were more than two races!!  Some of us towards the back of the misled group were turned back again so I clocked 1.15km extra.  Some of us went cross-country to short-cut back to join the proper course while others took the road.  I don't know how they will sort out that one for category placings!!

Agree - they should've just kept everyone going on the same course and put a bus at the revised 21.1km mark with someone recording times for those unable to give an extra 0.1-3km.

[Vonny]

This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed it. My only goal was to finish so I tried not to get stressed over the crowded water stations etc. The 2 women in the marathon lane with their prams was just ridiculous though.
Really enjoyed the first 30km- ran it conservatively and think I ran most of it smiling as I was feeling so good. 35-40 was hurting but then managed to finish strong. 4 hr 24m so no great shakes timewise but all worth it for that fantastic feeling crossing the finish line.

[CQ1]

E11en, on Aug 29 2010, 04:37 PM, said:

PS: Does anyone know if Flick Your Kit actually happened? I ended up chucking the OHs old trackies under the Clothing wagon, on the directions of the volunteers.

I think there was a bin to the left of the starting pen.  Loads of people were throwing their stuff in that direction including me as noone knew exactly were it was!

God knows if it actually happened!

[loubee]

Great reports guys.

How did the ambulance go? Did they make the WR and what about the winners - anyone know the results?

[turtle-runner]

E11en, on Aug 29 2010, 04:37 PM, said:

I was however hugely angered (and increasingly so the more I think about it) when collecting my Tshirt. I didn't actually know that HMers got tshirts, so it was a nice surprise! I went to get it,  and the guy said:
[i]"We only have Large left. You'll have to run faster next year if you want one that fits"

Don't worry - I did get a medium and it is about the equivalant to a XL....

[HWAC93]

Heh Heh - Here's how PerthNow.com.au is reporting the half marathon mess:

"Good friends Isaac Serem and Josphat Mwangi overcame directional issues on the gruelling course to claim first and second in the men's half marathon. Serem won in 1:15.13.

Victorian Brooke Condon, who was also caught out during the mix up on the half-marathon course, was the first woman

across the line."

"directional issues"?  "mix-up"? (an earlier version of their report went for the old pilot error by saying Brooke "got lost", but I suspect she wasn't having that so they changed it!)

Looks like blame-free Sponsor's Spin at work here.  Seems more likely that the only "directional issue" was a failure to ensure that the lead cyclist and course marshalls knew what they had to do.  And isn't that a Race Director's "directional issue"?

Anyone know who the Race Director was?

[Keely]

Wow the half marathon mess is news to me but it makes sense.  While I was running down Forrest Drive I notice a lot of fast runners (including a couple of the top WA runners) flying by me on the bush trail.  At the time I thought they must have some how gotten stuck at the back of the group... now I realise what actually happened.  I'd be really upset if I were them.

I ran a better race than I expected so I'm happy.  I'm also happy that I decided to run with my water bottle.  The water stations were a complete disaster.  I was hoping to get some powerade but had to wait until the last 5 kms to find a station with some and even then I had to fight off the 12km walkers for it!  Is it really so hard to understand what side of the road you are suppose to be running on?

Gu gels? What gu gels... definitely didn't see any of those at any stations...

Clothing pick up was fabulous! So much better than previous years.  Catching a bus was nice and easy. A swim in the indian ocean after the race made my day

Glad to see the doctor and nurses piece on channel nine... would have been better if it had sound though!

Edited by Keely, 29 August 2010 - 07:52 PM.

[E11en]

turtle-runner, on Aug 29 2010, 05:26 PM, said:

Don't worry - I did get a medium and it is about the equivalant to a XL....

Sounds about right. Mine comes down to my knees  
New nightie!

I had a look aroudn the Barrack Street side and couldn't find anything, so asked the volunteer who pointed me to the small pile that was already under her truck.
Hopefully they will get to someone who can put them to use.

[turtle-runner]

is anybody having difficulty with hearing anything on theChannel 9 C2S broadcast.... oh hang on - add is on and sound is back.... so much for recoding it.... GRRR.

[Keely]

turtle-runner, on Aug 29 2010, 05:42 PM, said:

is anybody having difficulty with hearing anything on theChannel 9 C2S broadcast.... oh hang on - add is on and sound is back.... so much for recoding it.... GRRR.

I called and complained... they said their "techies are trying to fix it" hopefully they replay it.

[BIGKEV]

All,


Well as Jockster said the day started badly when my fully-charged Garmin refused to start. Now if you know me you know I love my Garmin and actually have 2 in case 1 every beaks in training. I have also be known to wear two watches just to make sure I always know the exact time and now where I am in relation to my goals...

So walking up to the start line I was one very disappointed marathon runner. Jockster said he would pace me through the half at 1:26 which he did (albeit I was a minute behind @ 1:27) ..so a sub 3 was on the cards but felt running up Malcolm Street it wasn't going to be my day. Last year I ran 2:58 and powered up Malcolm Street and the hill in Kings Pk..this year was a different story and although I didn't lose any positions I was nowhere near the sub 3 pace I needed.

I got my second wind out of Kings Pk and put in some decent enough times (I'm assuming) down to Subiaco...but turning the corner onto Oceanic Drive I knew there was going to be a world of pain coming my way. No worries..I've done enough marathons to understand what was coming and I have a couple of 'bunnies' in front of me to chase down and a runner behind me to stay ahead of..so game on.!

The last hill was hard, surprise ,surprise... but managed to drop the runner behind me and get one guy on the line for a 3hr3min finish. Having no idea of time from the half way was an issue as with a Garmin I can always find what I need to achieve what I need. No worries..lesson learned..I will emailing Garmin and letting know I was a tad upset with their product.."the language may be a tad more colourful than that"..finished in 3:03..could have found those 3 minutes if I knew I had to...! Overall 30th and 6th in my age group..mission accomplished.

What next..?well that was race no 13 for me since March, including 2 ultra's, the Perth marathon and the small matter of a Comrades training 6 months...I need to do one sub 3 this year so it's either Melbourne (the easy option) or Rottnest (a challenge!)...

Right the marathon..well organised and ran the second half by myself (like last year) but this year without the 12k hordes...so no worries with water stations, gels, people or anything really...a perfect race. I must admiit I was surprised they started the 21k only half-an-hour before the 12k..when I did the half for the first 2 years we always missed the 12k runners...this year it was a mistake starting the half so late. There is no exucse for the extra 3k on the half.that is laughable..and the organiser needs to sort that out quickly. Remember last year the lead girl got lost in the 12k throng and went over Oceanic Drive rather than round it..I thought that was bad enough...seems they have outdone themselves this year..

Nearly there...well done to Jockster, sub 3 seven  weeks after recovering from Pneumonia , outstanding ! Geoffa and the rest of the runners for charity who are now world record holders...Zeno for a good pb, Nate for hanging in there and of course TB..he was like a rocket at the start and will make the news for sure.

keep running (and typing very long posts..) bk

Edited by BIGKEV, 30 August 2010 - 10:49 PM.

[Aussie]

hey i ran the 12, and theres was heaps of people fainting at heartbreak hill. far out that was hard though.

[Kristy]

Hi Everyone,

Wow I must have got the same guy who told me that if I go there faster I could have got a smaller size.  ( should have told him what to do with his t shirt)Maybe a suggestion is to ask people on th entry form what size they wan, no biggy like E11en I have bright new red nighty!

Well this was my 2nd half the 1st being 6 years and 2 babies ago, so I was over the moon to do it in 2hrs 17 a pb by 5 mins, woo hoo anyone would have thought I had won the event I was so excited.

Certainly made me appreciate what a beautiful state we live in, and how lucky I am to be able to run and go home to 2 healthy children.

[Jodieck]

I had a great day.  I was heading through the roundabout and along Fraser Ave on my way out of Kings Park when the bulk of the Half marathon field were heading in.  I wondered why the elite runners with their lead runners were not out in front of the field but overtaking the field behind Fraser's restaurant.  Now I know.  Major stuff up.  I wasn't running the Half marathon but even I checked out that course as well, mostly to see how it might affect my race.  

I have to agree that the marathon was very well planned.  I had no trouble getting water when I needed it and I take my own Gu.  I did notice that they had run out in Kings Park when I went through though.  I started out conservative really only aiming for a sub 4 finish.  I ended up finishing in a time practically identical to my Perth marathon time of 3:36:25 (according to my Garmin).  I went out conservatively running at about 5:15min/km with a half way split of 1:50.  I felt strong running up Malcolm street and in fact relished running up William street for the first of many hills.  Very proud to say that from this point onwards and probably from before I steadily passed people.  I only needed 3 Gu so had on spare.  My conservative start not doubt helped me to finish strong.  I felt quite comfortable for most of this race and still felt pretty good leaving Kings Park, did a bit of dance for the people playing drums on Kings Park Road, clicked my heels for the people in red at the bottom of Underwood ave and smiled and waved a lot.  It was quite satisfying to be still passing people in the final 3km even though I had slowed a little by then.  Lisa Weightman can steaming in to finish the 12km as I was finishing the marathon and this assisted me in upping the pace to finish too.  

I did however find the hike from the finish line to the recovery tent a little too far.  The stagger down the grassy slope was precarious.  I wanted water but there was none to be found not even in the recovery tent.  Some girls did bring water around for people waiting in line for a massage.  It was greatly appreciated.  I had no trouble getting my goody bag as I was one of the earlier finishers.  I was entertained by the crowd of people waiting for theres while I was waiting for my massage.  Massage could have been better but I figured it was better than nothing.  An organiser at the massage area did apologise for the wait, she said they had planned to have more massage stations.  

All in all a great day out.  I would do it all again.  

J

[MikeMSM]

G'day Guys,
Had a great day out.
The weather was perfect.

Ran a PB both for the marathon course(10 min) and outright.
Was running with Zeno but at 38Km somebody built a small wall that slowed me down a bit.
No problems with drinks, the 12Km guys, (carry my own gels) the finish or anything.
Walked straight onto a bus back to the start. (How good are these guys at shifting large numbers of people?)
Lucky the flu ridden train drivers weren't involved.

How good was the drum band near Thomas St !!!!
And a special mention to the Westpac crew at the Selby St intersection too.

All in all a great run.

Mike

[E11en]

Jodieck, on Aug 29 2010, 08:16 PM, said:

The stagger down the grassy slope was precarious.

At least they learnt that lesson and changed it from running down said precarious hill to get to the finish line! That nearly killed me last time I did the half!

[donaldboy]

Great day for me. Had had calf worries in the lead up so was paranoid about every twinge that I felt.  Really strong cramp at 27.5km but a bit of stretching settled it down quickly.  I had no problems in getting water and the only point I would make about the Gus was that the volunteers at around the 39km seemed to have an excess of them when I came through so maybe they could have been distributed better. Overall I thought the volunteers were great and my transition into the recovery tent was very  easy.  Getting your little grab bag was a bit of a nightmare and I didnt understand why that were not all ready made up so that all you would have to do is add a t shirt( hopefully in your size).  Final hill really shattered me and I basically stumbled the final km to the finish.  PB for me around 3hr 52 so sore but happy.  Well down to all the runners and congrats to the record holders..the ambulance looked like the final 10kms were going to be tough. Hope that he made it alright. re the half it sounds like the cylist followed the route from 3 years ago. Hard to know how that could happen

[pjs]

I ran the half today. My second ever half after the Perth half a few weeks ago. I think I came in around 2:11. A little disappointed with that since I managed sub 2 at the Perth half.

I got the first train in, so was at the Esplanade around 7. Just because I know toilets at events can be a problem. I hadn't brought any food/drink with me either as the maps showed a water station at either end of the start area. Wasn't impressed that it looked like there was two water stations there, but not actually set up to be used. So yeah, already wasn't happy when I started running 2 hours later.

Given the Perth half had gels readily available, I subsequently tried some training with gels since I found the last 3k at Perth tough. I found the gels helped me, so planned to use them today. Pretty pissed off that none were to be seen at any of the aid stations they were supposed to be. After the first one I thought there'd be none left at any station, so knew I was in for a tough run. To have no Powerade at any station beyond the first and last was taking the damn biscuit though. Of course, combined that with woefully unprepared aid stations for 3000 people to come past. I'm fairly new to these big events, so all I'm left to assume now is that you might as well forget there are aid stations and think of them for emergencies only.

I really don't understand how these things are so hard to organise. They know how many people are registered, they know roughly what percentage of each distance will get what sort of time. Why can't they work out how they need to run the aid stations.  I'm not knocking the volunteers here. They were doing a great job under tough circumstances. Surely though there's someone who was getting paid for today that was responsible for that organisation (or lack of).

Same kind of thing with the barriers. What is the point in all those barriers when there's huge gaps in it in places. Perhaps even some signs around the place to let the 12km people know which side is which. There shouldn't have to have been a marhsall shouting at the Perry Lakes split off point telling the 12km people they needed to head off right. Regular signs on the fencing would've cut out most of the fence jumping I'm sure. Along with actually making the fence continuous.

The crowding at the end was totally unnecessary too. I imagine a large part of this is the race chips that are to be attached to the shoes. Everyone ends up sitting down to take them off right after the finish. This is the first race I've done with those sort of chips and they seem a complete pain. The disposable chips the WAMC use seem a much better idea to me, or even the ankle chip used on the Great Bike Ride would be better that one you're meant to tie in/attach to your laces. I think some signage would've helped here too. In the great crowds, all I had to go on was the guy with the megaphone telling you where to go to get what. Of course, he was given out instructions for the 12km people.

One bright point though was the bag drop off/collection. Compared to the Run for a Reason it was a miracle of organisation.

Being fairly new to these events too, I really don't understand why I seem to end up forever overtaking someone who's started walking for them to overtake me a few minutes later and then a few minutes later again I overtake them as they've started walking again etc. This must've happened with one guy today about 15 damn times. Why doesn't he just run slower? I can get that some people might get/be injured but I just don't see how that can account for the sheer number of people I see doing it.

Edited by pjs, 29 August 2010 - 10:59 PM.

[Jodieck]

MikeMSM, on Aug 29 2010, 08:24 PM, said:

G'day Guys,
Had a great day out.
The weather was perfect.

Ran a PB both for the marathon course(10 min) and outright.
Was running with Zeno but at 38Km somebody built a small wall that slowed me down a bit.
No problems with drinks, the 12Km guys, (carry my own gels) the finish or anything.
Walked straight onto a bus back to the start. (How good are these guys at shifting large numbers of people?)
Lucky the flu ridden train drivers weren't involved.

How good was the drum band near Thomas St !!!!
And a special mention to the Westpac crew at the Selby St intersection too.

All in all a great run.

Mike

I loved the drum bands as well and I made sure I danced, smiled and waved to show my appreciation.  I got a good cheer from the people in red, as I waved and clicked my heels as I went through.  

J

[orlando]

Keely, on Aug 29 2010, 05:37 PM, said:

The water stations were a complete disaster.  I was hoping to get some powerade but had to wait until the last 5 kms to find a station with some and even then I had to fight off the 12km walkers for it!  Is it really so hard to understand what side of the road you are suppose to be running on?

In defence of the 12k people, there really were no signs or marshals anywhere along the course directing people to the correct side of the barricades.  Most people seemed to assume they could run either side of the road, and there was no one stopping them.  The only time there was ever any direction was entering Perry Lakes when 12k runners who'd been on the wrong side for the whole of Underwood Ave were asked to cross back over.

[Gone2thepack]

Id just like to say a big thankyou to the volunteers who tried their best , your efforts are greatly appreciated
The Westpac crew who had the signs about liking guys in shorts was great and chirped me up and the overall support from spectators was fantastic.
Went out in the half reasonably fast and got quite smashed by the hills early. Coming off a cold didnt help but i thought i had a little more in the tank.
Got to about the 10km mark looking like a 1.40 finish, and then promptly came unravelled shortly after. Struggled to get home the last 5km, and eventually fell over in 1.54. Wasnt too happy, but the first time ive done this run, and struggled to take on water on the first few drink stops. Well i can say ive done it, but bloody hell i need some hill training.
Great to see the Medical Marathoners out there, was a fantastic boost to see you guys and gals come through the 21km mark before we pushed off.
Once again, thanks everyone for being great sports and not spitting on me (thats always a plus). Hopefully ill just get some miles under my belt and look forward to the 6 inch if i can organise my roster around it.
Cheers Ron

Edited by Gone2thepack, 30 August 2010 - 12:05 AM.

[serena]

A HUGE well done to everyone today. I have just read the whole thread and feel very nostalgic about the marathon having run it last year. I wasn't able to run at all this year but it was a perfect day for it!
Lou you are amazing having been sick and doing the half! Wow girl.
Great reports from everyone.
Zeno that is just an awesome time and PB, well done.

serena

[runrosierun]

Hi all, great to read all the race reports. Hoping I'll be involved next year!

I thought I'd just add this about the volunteers, especially since Kilee noticed a distinct lack of enthusiasm among the people on the water station in Kings Park... I was speaking to a slightly mad lady when I was spectating at Subi, and she told me that her son was volunteering today on a water station as part of a TAFE course requirement.

I said something like 'oh well, it's always good fun to be involved with these events', but she told me he was very reluctant to do it, and was only doing it because it was a pass requirement. I'm not saying for a minute that this was the attitude of all, or most, of the volunteers, but if there was some 'compulsary' volunteering going on, it might explain some of the incompetence!

[EinWA]

Completed my first 12k since taking up running a year ago.  I had a great run and finished in a time of ~1.12

I must say I don't get people taking short cuts - saw plenty of 12 km runners crossing over to the half marathon side... through the barriers.  Although there were no signage or marshalls they had to squeeze between the plastic bollards to cross over.  Quite amusing watching the panic when they had to get past the 6 foot barriers at Perry Lakes to get back onto the 12km course.

Again at Perry Lakes amazed to see people heading off through the trees taking shortcuts... I guess it is part of the mass participation thing, but really annoyed me.

I also don't get walkers and prams starting up front.  I started in the front of the C-group only to come up short behind a group of about 12 walkers covering the width of the road.   Guess there are too many people to stop this, just wish people were a bit more courteous.

I certainly felt the heat at the end, but had a great run.  Thought the end was very crowded with everyone stopping dead to take their timing chips off.

[djc42]

One can only hope that those who took short cuts are filled with regret and the knowledge they didn't actually run the course. Easy solution : have someone take down their numbers and DSQ them. I also think its time to have qualification standards for the A & B groups as well.

I had an average day in the 12k; very hard work for a slightly disappointing result. Such is life. I thought the course was better marshalled this time, but the 'directional issues' the the HM is inexcusable and embarrassing. The hills really took it out of me today, and I consider myself a reasonable hill runner. I think they made them steeper this year   and I still don't like the finish. The old completely-out-of-control-down-the-grass-bank was much better and more fun than the slightly uphill grind to the finish.

Props to all who ran, whether a good day or bad, and boo to the organisers for making it so hard for spectators to get to the finish area, and allowing people with prams to cross the road right in front of finishing marathoners.

D

[trailblazer777]

http://www.perthnow....11524647?page=3
conclusive proof that me and Kipkemboi are mates (i wish) hahaha...       we even ran in the same front bunch (well for the first 500m anyhow.) ...see gold coolrunning hat on left of picture...at the start of my 12th marathon finished and my 12th City to Surf run...(ive done it every year since 1997 except 2000 and 2006)...
TechnoKate and emailstar in a citytosurf video in the skins recovery tent afterwards see video on http://www.perthnow....c-1225911468359


I could hear that ambulance for much of the race....
http://www.perthnow....c-1225894486182
well done medical...great effort on a tough course! I think the ambulance came up about 20min short, but on the WAMC perth Marathon course which is soo much flatter, probably would have got there...

seriously though 2.14 that is the fastest marathon in Perth for sure...on a very tough course...
http://www.perthnow....c-1225911468359
Kenyan 1-2-3...Lilan Kennedy Kiproo 2nd in the sprint finish to the line...Kosgei was 3rd. Best Australian Mark Tucker...
Sobeka of Ethiopia the womens winner in 2.35. Kenyan Emily Chepkemoi Samoei 2nd in 2.45. Magda Karimali-Poulos 3rd.

4.15 for me (1.53 Half) more on my blog...had a really good day, and the hammy survived...just...
awesome to catch up with heaps of people, and saw Coolrunner Peekie finishing the 12k...
long climb up Oceanic at the end wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...

Went halves on a taxi-fare with a fellow marathoner to get to the start since ***there are no trains at 0500hrs on a sunday...***   and it was easier than trying to find parking with all the road closures, although turns out some of them must have come into effect later in the day, cos mounts bay rd exit from the kwinana freeway seemed to be open still when we went past...Free trains on the way home was awesome

I ran with Kipkemboi, Kosgei and co in the first minute or so, counted 8 Kenyans/Ethiopians/Tanzanians men in the front bunch,and Nsw? runner Mark Tucker... and they had two motorbikes with cameras just in front of us...oh and I ran 4.16 for the entire marathon not bad considering my hammy played up on the tough hills, and I carried 4 drinks with me....due to the fact there is no personal drinks option in this very hilly! marathonfirst 21.1km in 1.53 on the very nice flat section out to UWA and beyond and back was a very good hitout for Melbourne in a few weeks time, but need to get hammy right...

Helicopters followed us round Riverside drive and Mounts Bay taking photos, blimp at the finish was cool, and caught up with heaps of legendary people, plus me and AP educated a very good taxi driver about Kosgei/Kemboi marathoning and ultra-marathoning around the world at 0500hrs...what a day...awesome fun...medical marathoners put on a cool show of attacking running especially early on, 3.29 for one of them!

well done everyone who ran or helped in some way to make the city 2 surf one of the premier events in WA, and the second biggest running festival in Australia, and a serious rival now to the Sydney City to Surf ...

I am yet to see TV coverage of the start of the marathon, (although I might have missed it cos I turned on the TV at 1735 instead of 1730) or the thrilling sprint finish between Kiproo and Kipkemboi as they crossed in 2.14 the fastest marathon ever in Perth, and only 1 minute behind what Ray Boyds PB in QLD is, on a heaps tougher course here in Perth...
if you compare the TV coverage of other major races, its heaps better than Perths, I think if this is to be a good world class event the TV coverage needs to improve...its good to have some of the fundraising and fancy dress stuff there, adds balance to what is essentially a community event, but dont forget that the driving force of this event is the racing, so many of us here in Perth, around Australia, and globally especially if we are looking to keep attracting world class runners want to see 1. the start of the races, 2. the top 3 finishers at the end 3. any exciting battles during the race, especially at the finish like the one between Kipkemboi and Kiproo!

sounds like the directional issues was a major stuff up by officialdom for a significant number of people in the half...and the later start time not liked by many of the half runners, but for me as a marathoner we were very happy to avoid the worst of the merging, and to get a free run for the first 2-3 hours...so thanks heaps for that organisers....I agree with the 0630 start for the marathon and the 0900 start for the Half...big positive for us...maybe scrap the Half altogether...no maybe not...the chips in the shoes are a small hassle at the start and the finish, but not a major hassle...

overall though I had a wonderful day, would have liked to had some water as well as powerade in the marathon recovery tent, but the banana was probably a good option for many, and I enjoyed the free powerade and mars bar! I like the shirt...I think the barricades and the separation of marathoners/half marathoners from the rest of the runners from my point of view as a marathoner was mostly a huge success, although I did see a few people jumping the barricades at perry lakes and elsewhere...
fantastic efforts by the volunteers on the drinks stations, I could see they were starting to run out of water... the amount of powerade out there was awesome from my point of view, maybe next time I will take the risk and not carry my own drinks...also made use of some of the free GU gels out there on course too...a lot of encouragement from spectators, marshals and others, appreciate it a lot in the marathon we do...

Well done everyone. Well done Nathan, Kevin (well done on overcoming the garmin death),Joxster (awesome return to racing after illness),metering Matt,,Kate,Jane, Richard,Aaron (sub 4 in his first road marathon after lots of ultras),Jeannie (4th marathon finish in 2 years), Vonny,Anne, MEDICAL!!!, Ian, everyone... all the half runners like Ryan,  TR and Loub, 12k people like DJC, Christo (kings park)Peekie(near the finish) (surreally cool getting encourgement from 12k runners on the other side of the barrier when I was hurting a fair bit by then)...and 4k runners and walkers....

Huge thanks to BK and AP without your encouragement I might not have entered or turned up on race day...glad I did it. Last minute (1-2 days before) decision on my part to decide to race, although I conisidered it for weeks before...

so a wonderful day, its really exciting having the chance to run in the same race as the world class Kenyans,Ethiopians and Tanzanians etc...

and Go the Dockers!!!!

Its a special event, there is always ways to improve, and its not an easy course to PB on, but its a special,special race, great to have the chance to be a part of it for the 12th time...
looking forward to seeing the results and photos soon...

Edited by trailblazer777, 01 September 2010 - 04:01 AM.

[sandeater]

Hi all,

I ran the half yesterday as part of my training for the Glasshouse 100 miler in 2 weeks. Found the course tough (thoses hills were mean)and ended up with a (worse) PB by 13 mins after my 1.39 at the Perth Half a few weeks ago. Ended up running about 1km extra due to confusion comming out of Kings Park Road. Started running with Run2thePack and were setting a strong pace but both felt stuffed by the time leaving Kings Park.

I am a HUGE supporter of volunteers and as one who runs many ultras I know the runs will never happen without volunteers. However I found the focus of many vounteers I passed appeared to be on other things and not ensuring the race went smoothly. The end was a real mess with so many people sitting down to take off the timing chips. Other than that It was a good day and again reiterated that I am not built for speed!

Cheers

[markc]

Gday all - long time,
Well yesterday was not a run for the record books, I've come off very limited training, and a flu which I'm not 100% over, so I decided to use the 12km as a nice cruisy hit out to get some distance back in the legs, and to remember what it feels like to be beaten by lots of people (i.e attitude adjustment).

Got to the start line late, so started with a lot of "joggers" thus had to pick my way through the field until I got to a group who was going at my cruise level (4.50-5.00/km).  Quite enjoyed being out just for a run rather than over extending myself, but since moving to Tassie and having no choice but to run lots of hills (when I say hills I mean steep and often), Malcolm street and the three sisters weren't a problem, just the legs not being used to the distance of late decided to empty out completely around 9km so just took it easy and with it being a touch warmer than epected decided this was an intelligent move.   Lots of unfortunate people not coping and on oxygen/drips on oceanic!

Overall I didn't have any issues with the way the 12km was run, but 2 minor gripes would be that new section running onto grass? (not sure why they did this), and having to trek almost another km into the finishing area to actually get a drink..

All in all, nice to be out there in Perth, and hopefully gets me training properly for the Burnie Ten in october and the Duathlon champs in Hobart (guaranteed cooler weather!!).

Hope ya'll had a good day and well doneto all who achieved their goals and finished their respective events!

Cheers
M

[markc]

djc42, on Aug 30 2010, 08:02 AM, said:

One can only hope that those who took short cuts are filled with regret and the knowledge they didn't actually run the course. Easy solution : have someone take down their numbers and DSQ them. I also think its time to have qualification standards for the A & B groups as well.

Dave do you know if the course AA certified?

djc42, on Aug 30 2010, 08:02 AM, said:

I had an average day in the 12k; very hard work for a slightly disappointing result. Such is life.

Not the first person to say that, I think the heat played a part in sapping every inch of life in the leg muscles , and yes, I don't recall the three sisters being so large.. perhaps they put on weight?

[geoffa]

I'll keep it brief. Seems the half marathoners inherited the marathoners' debacles from last year, as predicted! Fantastic drums on Kings Park Road - should be more of it! TB's sprint at the start was priceless. Personally, I was on track for 3.10 early, but 3 layers of clothing proved to be too hot and I struggled through Kings Park and beyond.

As it turns out, it was a day for records to be broken:

Fastest marathon run as nurse (male) : Andy Lane 3.14
Fastest marathon run as nurse (female) : Eulalia Van Blomestein 3.14
Fastest marathon dressed as doctor : Geoffa 3.29
Fastest marathon dressed as ambulance : Rob Adams 4.16

Thanks to Cooops, Sub3dreamer and Big Mike for running as escorts(!) I think their dresses needed to be shorter though. Now we await Guinness World Records to ratify the above records.

In the process, we have raised over $10,0000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. We are planning bigger and better for next year so watch this space... Thanks to everyone who donated esp. sponsors Apache Energy, Skins, XTR Multisports and Noreen. Well done to COOOOps, Andy and Mike for organising everything. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on during the race, although please don't wolf-whistle Andy when I am running behind him - he kept lifting his dress to show off his Skin-clad bottom. No wonder I struggled after that...

[kermc]

Hey all! Long time no post

Yesterday was my first C2S, previous runs have been mainly WAMC events.

Positives
- saw the ambulance and nurses running the marathon past the Esplanade, they were fabulous, good on you guys I really hope the siren was able to be turned off or mental fatigue may have been more of an issue than anything else
- huge crowd - presumably the Perth hordes are more able to drag their hungover selves out of bed for a 9:30am start. Plus and minus.
- start seemed pretty well organised - I (honestly) self-seeded in group D and had steeled myself peior for the irritation at walkers who put themselves in a running category (of which there were many)- I hope the totally separate starts for each group helped those in the earlier groups.
- I had a great run and did 5k and 10k PB's along the way. Big smiles and slight disbelief when I dumped my garmin data this morning.
- a guy who ran most of the way just ahead of me finished in a full wedding dress - the sight of his sweaty red lace-clad back gave me many a smile along the way.

Negatives
- drinks at the finish. All I wanted was a measly paper cup of water, but had to queue for 20+ mins just for a powerade - no water to be seen anywhere. They seemed to care more for their timing chips than hydration. A lot of HM runners finished with me and they must have been in a bad way.
- the HM/12km course delineation - I ended up on the HM side of the road at one point and have no idea how that happened as I followed signs and knew where the HM runners were, I only noticed when I went past a HM distance marker (and I jumped back across the road as soon as I could). So not all of us 12km joggers were there trying to steal your drinks I promise, there was a severe lack of on course direction.
- temperature/start time. 9:30am isn't great for the 12km, but 9:00am definitely can't have been early enough for HM,  a lot were finishing with the hordes and then collapsing on the final hill, which was quite upsetting to witness.


All in all I had a great day and I hope lots of money was raised for worthy causes. Events like this get people into running.

[Pelagie]

Certainly not one of my best races.....I did the half marathon not recovered from a bad cold so I knew it would be a struggle..and it was!  By the 8k I knew that if I wanted to finish on my 2 feet and not in the back of an ambulance I would have to walk the hills as, as soon as I pushed, I was in trouble, the lungs not coping and the cardio going sky high.... The hot weather and late start didn't help either.

Glad I was carrying my own water, electrolyte and gels as the drink stations left a lot to be desired...not that the volunteers were not trying their hardest, but they seemend disorganised and some had ran out of everything!

I did encounter some problems with the 12k runners through Subiaco and felt very sorry for the poor marathon runners caught in it.  Glad they were shown the right way at Perry Lakes, it made a big difference!

It was very distressing to see so many runners needing attention from Perry Lakes onwards with several ambulances doing the navette....

The finish precint was a complete shamble.  Did get the same comment as others from the 't'shirt man'....Hard to get a drink as well but I have to agree with the bags pick up, it was well organised.

Still a lot of problems to be sorted out for next year (they have already been mentioned in earlier posts so I won't dwell on them) and I certainly hope that no lead runners will ever again be sent on the wrong course!!!!!

In general the volunteers were great and did their best.  The crowd was very supportive and so were the runners.  A special thank you to the CR (Makka?) who encouraged me from the other side of the fence at Perry Lakes when I was really suffering, glad to have seen you at the end!

Well done everyone!

[djc42]

If you go here, even though the dates are listed in the story as 2009, you can search for the 2010 results - wrks at least for the 12k.

City to surf results

Edit: this has been taken down now - use kermc's link below...

D

Edited by djc42, 30 August 2010 - 04:10 PM.

[pjs]

Just looked up what they had for me there...the site's now very slow, but I'm a little confused.

I did the half and it does give me some results that tie in roughly with my Garmin data, but how
can it have a longer net time than gun time for me? Unless they've got the two mixed up...

It also says there was 2508 finishers in the half. Has someone been rounding that up to 3000 with
all the talk of 3000 runners in the half or is there really hundreds who didn't finish?

Edited by pjs, 30 August 2010 - 02:50 PM.

[kermc]

yeah they've got the two mixed up.

the actual results are here but they aren't showing net time (for me anyway)

[runrosierun]

Article in the West today, page 3, about the half marathon mixup. Although the article makes it sound as if only the elites were affected.

[themilkboy]

Hi all, great day yesterday, this was my second marathon and came in at 3.49, which was 10 minutes better than my first , which im stoked about. I though it was well organised, contrary to alot of peoples views access to water was great, but as to the masses of half marathon runners coming through kings park, it was a bit of a mess, i nearly got bumped a few times because of the hm guys being spread across the whole road, oh well. As for the hills on the second half, omg, they were killer!.

I just received an email from the race timers saying they have no record of me going over any of the timing mats. Im putting this down to the fact that I didnt do what was recommended and tie the chip to my lace, I actually clipped it to my wrist band. Would that be the reason why?

Thanks
Grant