AIBU to be fucked off at road marathons?

it happens way more than twice a year ;)

1 - if it's twice a year (Marathon and half) then it's 1/26 of your weekends, not 1/20

2 - see my earlier post - Manchester Marathon have moved the finish for next year's event, so it doesn't come back into Old Trafford, which will mean the roads will open much earlier. So that will make quite a difference.

I still think constant roadworks are far more of a problem than very occasional road races.

Frankly, as someone who used to live on that route as well, I was always far more inconvenienced by the football every other week.

I worked with someone who lived near Highbury when Arsenal played there and she used to have their home games marked in her work calendar. Presumably so she could be somewhere else!

Not being able to get away from your home for one twentieth of your weekends when you have disabled family members and you work full time is quite another

You really are over-egging it though. It's twice a year that Manchester holds major road races. And only one of those (the main marathon in April) is the full 12hr closure you refer to - during the half in October everything is reopened by 4pm.

So essentially you're seething because, on one Sunday in April, around 40,000 runners raise a huge amount for charity and also bring in thousands for the city's economy.

Frankly, as someone who used to live on that route as well, I was always far more inconvenienced by the football every other week. And the cricket.

Absolutely, nothing must stop the free movement of the 34 million cars that clog up uk roads

What do you think the answer is?
To stop holding the events?

Right Well you don’t live through it and you don’t know. Roadworks and traffic are minor inconveniences which affect your life on a constant and small manner. Not being able to get away from your home for one twentieth of your weekends when you have disabled family members and you work full time is quite another.

Once again, it’s not a few hours. Surrounding roads shut for twelve hours at least. The road to the rest of the world shuts at 3am and opens again after 3pm (pretty much when everything is shut).

But I will tell my disabled relatives who cannot leave home to think of the greater good.. the charities with their boards on six figure salaries.. Whitbread corporation and its shareholders etc

Same with the name thing😂

I was talking about the bigger picture, its all related.

No need to be so condescending to the other poster. It's not a good look.

The point is that roadworks and traffic cause problems every day, yet people whinge about a couple of hours a year.

A sense of proportion goes a long way.

💗I'm so sorry to read about your brother.

Yes but that’s not what we were talking about. That’s an entirely unrelated point. Sorry if this is hard for you to follow.

The main culprit for holding up ambulances 365 days of the year, is other traffic. Its not the occasional road race that is the problem on our roads

I’m very sorry to hear this. It must have been devastating.

if an ambulance or carer needs to get through the marshals will let them
I've marshalled loads and that's always been my experience too

I have raised a lot of money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
Thank you. My brother died of a brain tumor (glioma). He was 9. There's nothing 'ostentatious' (I mean wow, just wow) about raising funds to help brain tumour patients and their families. It remains the biggest cancer killer of people under 40 and research is desperately underfunded.

That’s bull. The carers around here are walking to people and parking a considerable distance away. If an ambulance has to take someone to hospital, it doesn’t gain wings and fly. It has to travel down the thin congested roads and get stuck behind all the other traffic. The infrastructure surrounding these closed roads is impacted.

You're really not. Despite the moaning above, if an ambulance or carer needs to get through the marshals will let them.

Marshals receive a briefing before the event. Many of them do the job year after year. It is an insult to their intelligence to say that they don't use common sense and let people through when they need to get through.

Fair question. I do give to charity independently of any fundraising I do. It's private and personal to me (but I can say it here cos it's anonymous).
When I ran my first (and ever!) marathon I raised nearly £2000 ie. more than I would give myself. I think the London Marathon is the biggest source of income for many charities.

@widelegenes Does your fundraising need to be so performative? Laudable to raise much for a worthy cause, but isn't it rather ostentatious. That old saying (from the bible maybe?) that the left hand shouldn't know what the right hand is doing. Charity is such a big business these days.

Give to charity. Enjoy your running and challenging youself. No need to mix the two imo.

I'm wondering, how do people who may benefit from the money raised feel about being blocked in?
In an ideal world we would not need to rely on charities to support people.

I have raised a lot of money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Now I'm thinking that I'm possibly stopping the very person I'm trying to do my little bit for by..I don't know...stopping their carers being able to get to them, or them not being able to get out and do something they enjoy.

Not sure how I sound ridiculous - and I didn't say anything about anti-social behaviour (although parking on pavements and in cycle lanes IS anti-social behaviour in my view). People (drivers) moan about pedestrians using the roads for a few hours a year. Well how very dare they.

Even though they routinely block the way to other road users on a regular basis.

It is ridiculous to moan about runners when you routinely park on pavements, for example.

Plan ahead. Easy.

If you're not a motorist the chances are you inconvenience others in other ways. Everyone does. Some try not to do it on purpose, others don't care. And even if you don't drive yourself, you are probably driven at times.

Not everyone on this thread is a motorist, thank you.