Guest article.....Will the Marathon Relay replace the Marathon itself? You may have noticed that from time to time, I have some material written by other people on this blog. So, with that in mind, I hope to publish some articles by David O'Dwyer of East Cork AC here on a regular basis. (Links to David's previous articles can be found near the bottom on the menu bar on the right). David covers various topics from a personal point of view and if you agree, disagree or would just like to add a comment, click on the Comments link below this post. I would just like to say thanks to David for allowing his articles to be published here on this site. Hope you enjoy it.............John Desmond.
Will the Marathon relay replace the Marathon itself?
The 2007 revival of the Cork Marathon after a gap of 21years was by and large seen to be a huge success. This was despite a relatively modest winning time of over 2 hrs 27 mins a total of 1356 finishers. The 2008 event was won in an even slower time of 2 hrs 34 mins and with a slightly reduced number of finishers at 1338. It must be said that on both occasions the June Bank Holiday sunshine was out in force and this undoubtedly had an impact on the winning times.
There is no doubt that the Marathon generated a great “buzz” in the build up to the race within the running community in Cork and by hosting a Marathon, the Cork BHAA and the Cork branches of the AAI are doing their bit to keep the strong tradition of distance running alive in the south of the Country.
A new feature of the event in its second coming was the introduction of the Marathon relay. This allowed teams of between 2 and 5 to participate in the event, each running a stage or stages of the Marathon course. There are a number of benefits to having the relay as part of the overall Marathon event. Not least is the boost to the overall number of participants. As there is an even greater level of participants on the day and at each relay changeover stage, there are huge crowds that would not normally be present. This gives great encouragement and support to those runners passing through. This adds even more to the build up to the Marathon as more and more people are taking part.
There is a concern though that the relay event takes something from the Marathon event as well as adding to it. For one thing it is almost certain that some of the relay teams will finish ahead of the Marathon winner. This is not a good thing. If you are going to win a Marathon then you want to be the first one to cross the finish line. It must be somewhat deflating to know that someone else has stolen a little bit of the glory. Even as the race progresses, the leaders of the Marathon will probably be behind the leaders of the relay for much of the race.
The thinking behind the Marathon relay is to obviously increase the numbers taking part. This helps with the fundraising too. Take 2008 as an example, with 833 teams at between €80 and €100 per team it is a nice little earner for much needed funds for the race organisers. Also the thinking may well be that if you run the Marathon relay this year then next year you may run the full Marathon. The trend, in so much as it can be called a trend after only two years appears to be going in the opposite direction however. There was a slight decrease in the numbers completing the full Marathon, from 1356 in 2007 to 1338 in 2008. In contrast the number of relay teams taking part increased. In 2007 over 600 teams took part and in 2008 the number of teams grew to 833.
I have never ran a Marathon but I did participate in the 2007 Marathon relay in Cork. Despite the team finishing in third position I must admit to feeling somewhat deflated after the experience. The Marathon is for Marathoners. Anyone who has completed a Marathon will tell you that it’s not easy. Why should it be made easier for this generation of joggers and fun runners?
It will be interesting to see how the numbers stack up in 2009. By including a relay in the Marathon event in its present form, the status and profile of the Cork Marathon will not increase. This can only be harmful to the long term viability of the Cork Marathon. Originally the Marathon spanned a 5 year period from 1982 to 1986. If the Cork Marathon is to span more than 5 years then some changes are required or else it will become known as the “Cork Marathon Relay”. What then happens to the Marathoners?
The 2007 revival of the Cork Marathon after a gap of 21years was by and large seen to be a huge success. This was despite a relatively modest winning time of over 2 hrs 27 mins a total of 1356 finishers. The 2008 event was won in an even slower time of 2 hrs 34 mins and with a slightly reduced number of finishers at 1338. It must be said that on both occasions the June Bank Holiday sunshine was out in force and this undoubtedly had an impact on the winning times.
There is no doubt that the Marathon generated a great “buzz” in the build up to the race within the running community in Cork and by hosting a Marathon, the Cork BHAA and the Cork branches of the AAI are doing their bit to keep the strong tradition of distance running alive in the south of the Country.
A new feature of the event in its second coming was the introduction of the Marathon relay. This allowed teams of between 2 and 5 to participate in the event, each running a stage or stages of the Marathon course. There are a number of benefits to having the relay as part of the overall Marathon event. Not least is the boost to the overall number of participants. As there is an even greater level of participants on the day and at each relay changeover stage, there are huge crowds that would not normally be present. This gives great encouragement and support to those runners passing through. This adds even more to the build up to the Marathon as more and more people are taking part.
There is a concern though that the relay event takes something from the Marathon event as well as adding to it. For one thing it is almost certain that some of the relay teams will finish ahead of the Marathon winner. This is not a good thing. If you are going to win a Marathon then you want to be the first one to cross the finish line. It must be somewhat deflating to know that someone else has stolen a little bit of the glory. Even as the race progresses, the leaders of the Marathon will probably be behind the leaders of the relay for much of the race.
The thinking behind the Marathon relay is to obviously increase the numbers taking part. This helps with the fundraising too. Take 2008 as an example, with 833 teams at between €80 and €100 per team it is a nice little earner for much needed funds for the race organisers. Also the thinking may well be that if you run the Marathon relay this year then next year you may run the full Marathon. The trend, in so much as it can be called a trend after only two years appears to be going in the opposite direction however. There was a slight decrease in the numbers completing the full Marathon, from 1356 in 2007 to 1338 in 2008. In contrast the number of relay teams taking part increased. In 2007 over 600 teams took part and in 2008 the number of teams grew to 833.
I have never ran a Marathon but I did participate in the 2007 Marathon relay in Cork. Despite the team finishing in third position I must admit to feeling somewhat deflated after the experience. The Marathon is for Marathoners. Anyone who has completed a Marathon will tell you that it’s not easy. Why should it be made easier for this generation of joggers and fun runners?
It will be interesting to see how the numbers stack up in 2009. By including a relay in the Marathon event in its present form, the status and profile of the Cork Marathon will not increase. This can only be harmful to the long term viability of the Cork Marathon. Originally the Marathon spanned a 5 year period from 1982 to 1986. If the Cork Marathon is to span more than 5 years then some changes are required or else it will become known as the “Cork Marathon Relay”. What then happens to the Marathoners?
..........David O'Dwyer
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