OUT OF THE BOX out of the box by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
A
day after this year ’ s Two Oceans weekend , a local volunteer ( and runner ) who had worked at her club ’ s unofficial refreshment point during the Ultra on the Saturday and then worked at an official waterpoint during the Half Marathon on the Sunday , had a mini-rant on social media about the abusive behaviour of some runners . She wrote that these runners complained about not getting enough water , and the conversation thread , not surprisingly , drew outrage and apologies from the running community for these runners ’ rude behaviour , and support and thanks for volunteers .
OUT OF THE BOX out of the box by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
Let ’ s Get it Right at Two Oceans
In setting the scene for this opinion piece , let ’ s acknowledge that in many ways , the 2023 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon was a considerable improvement on the 2022 edition , and this will hopefully set the foundation for an even better event in 2024 . However , the failures included some base level omissions , which may already have existed in 2022 , but were exacerbated by the return to large numbers in 2023 . I am a firm believer in constructive criticism , if it can help improve an event , which is why I now write this column .
be with the permission of the provincial member and must be clearly stated in all event information .”
While disgruntled runners understandably vented frustrations , it was unfortunate that it was the volunteers along the route who faced the complaints , at the proverbial coalface , when they normally have little input to the planning or resources . In many ways , it was the Two Oceans organisers who set the volunteers up for this ‘ runner-rage ,’ through what I think was a lack of practical planning . Consider the 21km race , where the first refreshment table was at least 3.8km from the start , followed by tables at 8.7km , 11.3km , 13.8km , 16.6km , and 19.0km , with another just before the 20km marker , followed by the refreshment station at the finish line . The race was sachet-free , and these stations dispensed water , Coca- Cola and Powerade in wax-lined paper cups .
Looking at the Rules
Athletics South Africa ( ASA ) rule 34.8.5 stipulates that , “ Where race organisers impose a restriction on personal seconding , they must provide refreshment stations at least at 3 kilometre intervals throughout the race . Any departure from this must
In turn , Western Province Athletics ( WPA ) rule 34.12.1 says , “ As a minimum , refreshment stations are to be provided at least at 5km intervals as follows : 0-10km – one station ; 11-15km – two stations ; 16-21,1km - three stations ; 22km and over – stations every 5km . Race organisers are at liberty to provide additional refreshment stations , particularly if conditions are expected to be hot . A minimum ration of 3 ‘ drinks ’ per runner per station should be used as this takes into account water used for cooling .” ( The WPA rule does not stipulate how much fluid must be provided as a ‘ drink .’)
Last but not least , the World Athletics ( WA ) Label recommendations require refreshment stations at a minimum of 5km intervals , and 1.5 units per runner at each station . The unit is defined as 180-300ml of fluid , which means the requirement is between 270ml and 450ml per runner at each station . Similarly , when SA road running moved to water sachet use in the 1990s , it quickly defined a minimum standard of three sachets per runner per table at 3km intervals , and more sachets , or
The volunteers at the Two Oceans refreshment stations were hard-pressed to help all the runners
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