Chesterfield Marathon

[dozydoodle]

I've just got back home - a journey that took 3 minutes going out early this morning has taken me 35 minutes to come back because of the road chaos that is the Chesterfield Marathon! I've followed diversions that took me back where I started, diversions down cul-de-sacs, and asked directions from a race steward who had no idea where Newbold was.
I knew this was coming because of the yellow signs and tried to get advice about how it was going to work, so I rang DCC and was directed to the Chesterfield Marathon website, but I didn't find that helpful in giving me alternatives.
Anyone else struggled?

[Fly]

Hi DD, welcome to chesterfieldonline 

I feel sorry for the people who might be struggling to get to/from work this morning 
Thankfully I don't work weekends so can avoid town totally.

[dozydoodle]

Thanks for the welcome! Sorry to start with a moan.

I'm really pleased the Marathon has been a success for the town but I think next year whoever is in charge needs to re-think the route around the residential areas. Or re-think the need to close the roads for so long.
Those of us living around Ashgate Road and Newbold Road have been stuck at home for 6 and 1/2 hours. Who dreamed up a route that cut off both the Ashgate Road and the Newbold Road areas? Didn't the route designers realise we had no alternative ways to go?
Various neighbours have told me they've been prevented from going shopping, going to church, going to get their car washed and going to see their elderly parents.
Many people have been inconvenienced and I bet local businesses have been affected.
I'm pleased lots of money will have been raised for charity, but next year can it be done differently please.

[~Aitch~]

I'm all for helping poorly children or anyone else in trouble but today was a fiasco.  We had to get to Owler Bar for 12.30 but Newbold was turned into an island with no way out.  After trawling round diversion after diversion, we finally met a steward with a bit of common sense who let us drive carefully the 50 yards on a "closed" road to freedom.  Even then we had a long journey to get us back on track to where we wanted to be.   Very poor and inconsiderate disorganisation.

[therealjr]

I think the route has suffered from some over zealous marshals who put road closures in far earlier than was actually necessary

[Old Cruser]

Welcome to the forum dozydoodle.
We had seen signs dotted around so decided to head out across Tansley way for a run out instead.
Hopefully things will be better if it goes ahead next year

[Slacker]

Seemed to be going smoothly at the Hasland. Worn out with all the clapping

[therealjr]

Same principle though Andy. If you lived on the estate off Eastwood park drive you were stuck for 2/3 hours

[Slacker]

I was at Penmore  Lane and the marshal was letting people out as necessary. By 9.30 (approx 10 miles in) the runners were spread out enough for sufficient gaps.

Amazingly the winner was about 5 mins ahead of 2nd place

[balb0wa]

A lot , well not that many really, just a few moaners, those who say rethink the route, come up with some suggestions!

Seems a few cant even think for themselves as well, if you needed to get out, park your car out of the way, if you have to walk a mile or two so what.

Good job a lot of you weren't born or alive during the blitz, those Germans, dropping bombs! we cant get out of our house.

26 miles is quite hard to plan , its only a few hours as well, like someone said, the support in Hasland was great.

How do other places cope with marathons? London ,Berlin, Chicago etc, oh yes, they support it.

At least it gave folk something else to moan about instead of the sculpture 

[Pete]

I'm with you on this subject balb0wa - this town seems to live and thrive on constant moaning and complaining.

I'm no marathon runner, far from it, but if we are going to do it, let's do it well.

[djm]

'If you have to walk a couple of miles so what'? There are a good many, myself included, who just can't do this. Surely we are deserving of a little consideration too.

If it's ideas you want for the route then the obvious answer is to map out a shorter route keeping away from residential areas as far as possible, and run several laps. not a complete answer I know, but it will minimise the problems.

[balb0wa]

'If you have to walk a couple of miles so what'? There are a good many, myself included, who just can't do this. Surely we are deserving of a little consideration too.

If it's ideas you want for the route then the obvious answer is to map out a shorter route keeping away from residential areas as far as possible, and run several laps. not a complete answer I know, but it will minimise the problems.

Hardly anyone complained really, maybe less than 10 folk , not many considering the population of Chesterfield.

less than half a day of the year, well they are doing it again in 2015, i will do the half marathon, you can cheer me on. :-)

As for the laps idea, you tend to get a bit light headed when running, and keeping count of laps would be a nightmare.

I do the 5k in queens park 4 times past the leisure centre , its easy to lose count when running a mile every 6 and half minutes.

Where do you need to get to anyway? just curious? 

[Slacker]

Must be to totally demoralising to do several circuits the same.

Look at the Tour de France when it passed through Yorkshire (and Northern tip of Derbyshire). Didn't hear of complaints about disruption there, they took pride in having an event. Back to Chesterfield Marathon, runners semed quite uplifted by having spectators applauding.

[djm]

To be honest it made little difference to me personally. By and large I am all for any event that benefits the town. Being an ex distance runner I particularly like this kind of event.

What angers me is bland comments like 'walk a couple of miles' when there are many who would give their right arm to walk a small fraction of that.

After looking at this year's route I don't see why it couldn't be made to work. It would seem that the few problems that there were could largely be overcome by better marshalling and better timing of road closures.