AIBU to be fucked off at road marathons?

Sometimes it is a matter of logisitics. You have to start and finish a race somewhere accessible and it has to be long enough to get the distance in - in most cities that means leaving the centre - the London Marathon goes through Woolwich and Deptford for example.

However many cities are keen that races go past all the main tourist sites as they are keen to use the race as an advert for the city.

We have a housing estate on the outskirts of our town and our half marathon used to use it but doesn't now. Thinking about it, I think if it did go all the way through it would effectively mean you couldn't get out either end.

But I think there are various complaints -

OPs complaint is that the race was poorly communicated, and took all day and provided no opportunity for diversion

Other people do know about events in advance but think once or twice a year is too frequent

Others think roads shouldn't be used for races and running should be confined to fields, gyms and athletics tracks....

I have a car and don't pay "road tax" because my car is exempt. I bet that blows the "cyclists don't pay road tax" mob's mind.

I am baffled by all these people getting "stuck".

I travel a lot with Mr Monkey when he runs marathons. I tend to explore the city while he is running and I mostly manage to get around very unfamillar foreign cities, often my first visit, without the level of drama on here.

In Boston this year you had to be searched by the police every time you entered the race zone. I still managed to have a nice sightseeing day without creating too much of a fuss.

I think the cycle races have more of an impact - much wider area and the events last longer. But the principle is the same - if you don't like it, go out or stay in, but don't decide that you absolutely have to use those particular roads at that particular time.

Interesting that the majority on this thread feel no one should be cut off from leaving their home because of other people’s enjoyment but a similar thread a year or so ago about cycle races came to the opposite conclusion.

Yes, it is really quite nice when roads are closed for runners and you can walk around without pollution.

@MrsBobtonTrent who the hell is organising mass participation road runs on a weekday during the day - that sounds unlikely (unless it is a bank holiday). For starters the council are unlikely to approve the road closures.

I was in Cardiff at the weekend and got trapped by the half-marathon, and the marshal was a jobsworth who officiously told me I couldn't cross (on foot) because then 'everyone would want to'.
Luckily he wandered off eventually and a more relaxed marshal waved me across.

Quite. Signage for road closures is usually widespread and early. So I find it hard to believe that there wasn't sufficient notice near OP to say that there would be road closures on Sunday. There might not have been leaflets sent to EVERY house (and even if there were, lots of people don't even look at things they consider to be junk), but there would have been yellow AA road signs up on and around the route for several weeks beforehand.

I think the comparison with the Reading Festival is inaccurate. We know when the Reading Festival is going to on as it has a strict schedule. It's also been going for a long time, so if you live near it you generally do so in the clear and open knowledge that you will have a week of pain. Like living next to a football stadium, or wimbledon, or a church with bells. The races that happen in my area are an innovation. I think we had one before covid. Now we get 3-4 a year. They are new and have been foisted upon us without consultation. They are running through a residential area that has no business to benefit. In fact, they are running through our residential area so as not to adversely affect the shops and business in the town centre who objected loudly when one was run there. I also note that they run these events through the estates rather than the posh areas of town. If it was that much of a boon the well off roads would be campaigning to have the races down their streets (as was the case for the olympic torch)!

I don't totally object. But the burden of them needs to be spread around more. And residents need proper notice to make car arrangements. And residents need to be able to leave their roads on foot - we are trapped for the bike events at present as there are no ways for us to cross the event road once we walk out of our cul de sac. They are not only on Sunday mornings - we have had them on weekdays as well. And some of us have lives to live even on Sunday mornings.

Cars don't have any more right or priority to be on the road than me as a jogger or cyclist. I do always try to be considerate (if I'm holding people up I move in where I can etc etc) but drivers need to learn to share. There truly can't be many days in a year where roads are closed to vehicles.

And before anyone moans about road tax (or gets pedantic about what it is called) I also have a car and pay it!

@miserablecat That's why I left those scenarios out. If you live in Wembley or Twickenham or anywhere else close to a stadium or arena or professional sports ground then you presumably knew what you would be signing up for when you moved there / stayed there.

We can only take OP's word for the level of communication. Our local marathon was last Sunday and there were only a couple of roads immediately around the finish line actually closed but signage warning of delays was up along the whole route for at least two or three weeks in advance.

Even concerts and sports matches that take place in purpose built stadiums still cause massive disruption to the surrounding areas/traffic/public transport as well, although I guess you're in the picture if you choose to live in the immediate area.
Whereas it seems the race that OP is mentioning had very poor communication with affected residents, which would make it hard to prepare, or make alternative plans

I'm a runner and love parkrun and road races - not so much cross country and trail. I'm genuinely interested whether the people who are very anti believe that road races shouldn't exist? Or if we're allowed them where can they be?
I understand it can be annoying but as mentioned theyre usually well advertised in advance and yearly or twice yearly at most . My friends that lived in Reading always went away for the weekend of The Reading Festival cos it got too busy/inconvenient for them. Surely it's a similar thing?

Genuine question to the OP and others who are bitching expressing their negative opinions here.

Have you really never been to any of the following;

• A Christmas Market
• Christmas Lights switch on
• Any kind of Festival (Music / Food / etc)
• A bonfire and/or Firework display
• A Concert that takes place anywhere other than a purpose built concert venue
• A Sports event that takes place anywhere other than a purpose built sports facility
• Pop-up outdoor Theatre
• Any other kind of Pop-up event
• Any kind of travelling attraction such as a fair or the circus
• Any sort of parade
• A Carnival
• An air display
• A beach you don't live close to on a hot day

All of the above will to a greater or lesser degree be a pain in the arse for someone. Someone's road will be closed or route to work blocked or plans have to change or local street parking be overwhelmed or peaceful atmosphere shattered.

The marathon is your inconvenience but someone else's joy (often a great many people's joy, including those who just happen to live on the route and go out to cheer).

Of course it is.

Like, you know, New Year's Eve is a regular occurence. And the turn on the century is a regular occurrence. Very, very regular.

What you might mean is that it's not a frequent occurence. And that's a question of perspective. What you consider infrequent, someone else might consider much too bloody frequent.

I can understand that.

Would you rather these events didn't happen? I'm not being snotty, I'm wondering whether the residents whose lives are impacted would rather they didn't happen at all or do most just put up with it?

There are some pretty mean comments on here (not from you).

By foot yes, but that wasn't getting my son back to uni last year (we had to park half a mile away the night before and lug all his bags across the road). I also have a son and daughter with chronic illnesses and knowing I won't be able to easily take them to hospital in an emergency does make me jittery.

Twice a year is not a regular occurance.

You mean you cannot leave your cul de sac for the duration of the event? By foot even?

We get blocked in twice a year every year. Once for marathon, once for half marathon. My road is a cul de sac and we have no access to any of the "crossing points". It's pretty limiting.