Not being one to court controversy
I'm bound to say if the FLM put a
reasonable time limit on the event - lets say seven hours? - you might get a better blend of runners and quick walkers. It sounds churlish to complain about people raising money for great causes but one reason the race gets oversubscribed is that many successful entrants plan to walk the entire route.
This is something I plan to take up with the JDRF team. JDRF have sponsored walks - they are hugely popular, civilised affairs that cover around 20 miles or so and take all day. Marathons are essentially running races in which people get knackered and take walk breaks. If you want to walk to raise money for charity by all means have at it, but don't apply for a running race and deprive people who want to run in the spirit of the event.
I started to lose it when an extremely rotund couple waddled past halfway at 2.30 pm - getting on for five hours after the start - puffing away merrily on fags. Call me a miserable bugger by all means but I'm not sure that's right.
There was an interesting piece in the Times on Monday by Simon Barnes. Barnes took issue with the charities - my own included - who peddle Golden Bond places. His argument is that people supporting cancer research - or diabetes research for that matter - want their money to go to their chosen charity. With GBs three hundred quid per place goes to the FLM committee who channel the funds into local projects. It might be to provide football equipment for a sports club in Hackney or sheltered housing in Greenwich, all good causes in their own right but I take his point. From the charity's view we simply want to raise as much as we can for research. Whilst GBs do cost us the three hundred sovs they also allow us to raise a great deal more. I'm not sure how many GB places there are but it's also fair to say these places reduce the chances of Jo Public getting in via the ballot. On balance I'm in favour of the GB system (I would be) but I understand the arguments against it.
In the past couple of years JDRF have had people sign up for GB place and fail to raise a single dollar. We pursue them of course but there's a limit - apart from having the FLM ban them for life, which they will do - to the pressure you can bring to bear. You've got to be fairly cold to take a charity place knowing you'll cost them money but sad to say it happens. And I guess if people will do that they'll also lie about their projected finishing time if there's a time limit. To get into some races you have to show evidence of a previous finishing time for a full or half marathon to even be considered for entry. OK for most of us but what do you do if you're a race virgin? It's not easy.
It's a tough call for the organisers who rarely seem able to please anyone never mind fussy bleeders like me.
I'd like to see the smoking, drinking strollers kicked out at least; that's just taking the michael.
Phase 1 of the Flora London Marathon 2009 online entry ballot has now closed
