Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 116, March 2019 | Page 30

Regulations and Risks
With scheduled dates, entry fees, and large numbers, let’s be clear that many of
these mass long runs should actually be classified as events, not just traditional
informal long runs! And this means there is a real need to look at the considerable
risk of these long runs. The organisers should be aware that they can be sued in
their individual capacity for anything that goes wrong, such as a car driving into the
runners, causing injury or, heaven forbid, death. After all, these runs are sometimes
so big that they overflow from the pavement into the road.
All the photos publish
ed with this article wer
e taken at the immens
popular Wiets Se Run
ely
s in the Western Cape
or Beloved Long Runs
KZN. The intention of
in
this article is not to atta
ck these runs, or their
organisers, but to stim
ulate conversation aro
und the topic of long run
Send your thoughts to
s.
letters@modernathlete.c
o.za
Often you will see groups of runners running up to six abreast, usually running
against traffic (to their credit), but with zero medical support, no risk clearance, no
road authority, no insurance, and generally no central control. Local communities
are not informed, police have not approved routes, and the necessary provisions of
the Safety in Sport Act have not been complied with. This is one of the reasons that
the ‘event’ can keep the costs so low.
By ignoring the Safety in Sport Act regulations while allowing such large numbers
and charging for the event, it opens everyone to the potential of litigation. The
organiser, in particular, can be sued for not providing the necessary levels of
protection and medical facilities to cater for those sorts of numbers. This can
put his personal estate on the line. Also, the traffic police have every right to
take action against the ‘crowd’ on the road, particularly if they are in any way
obstructing the route, or even just attracting complaints from local communities for
creating noise early in the morning.
It is impossible to claim ignorance of the Safety in Sport regulations, as we deal
with them every weekend in club events. The point is that if something goes wrong,
particularly in terms of a traffic accident, these mass events are likely to come
under the scrutiny of the authorities, and are very likely to have a negative impact
on the image of the sport.
The Bottom Line
There are significant benefits of the mass long runs, including safety, support and
social interaction, and they do help to bring more people into the sport, but in their
current formats, many would fall foul of the Safety in Sport Act, and they have a
negative effect on the sport when held on a day that sees them attracting numbers
away from the formal race calendar.
These are purely suggestions, and are clearly based on safety and
consideration. We have a great sport, and the long run is a integral part of the
training, but it is far better for us as runners to create and evolve our standards,
than for us to wait until something goes wrong, and then find that our much
loved long runs being controlled, or stopped, by authorities who do not
understand the culture of the sport.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and South Africa in ultra-distance running and triathlon, and he is an IAAF-accredited coach
and course measurer. You can read more from him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
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ISSUE 116 MARCH 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Therefore, we need to embrace these ‘events,’ but create a set of guidelines that
keeps the essence of the intent of these runs, while meeting the regulations,
considering the community in which they are run, and making sure the long runs do
not detract from the sport. Such guidelines could include:
•
Only run on non-race days, or when the nearest race is over 50km away.
•
Set off in ability groups with 10 to 15-minute gaps, so as to keep group
numbers smaller.
•
No group bigger than 50 runners as a block (with gaps as above).
•
Group to run with no more than two abreast on the shoulder of the road
•
Always run facing into traffic.
•
First runners and back runners in each group must have reflective vests and lights.
•
Noise levels / conversation levels minimised – particularly before 7am.
•
Support vehicles must stop at points that can cater for 50 runners all off the road.