ASK YOURSELF WHY
C o l u m n
The Moses Mabhida Stadium proved an unpopular finish venue , but at least it was safer …
Over the past three months , I have been asked frequently why I and another Technical Delegate resigned from our allotted duty at the 2023 Comrades Marathon . The fact is that it ’ s impossible to advise and work with organisers who aren ’ t willing to listen , and have zero understanding of these basic calculations . Even after being told that their venue and route capacities appeared inadequate , the Race Director failed to enquire about our concerns , and even insisted to the ASA Technical Delegate , who appealed for increased safety in the final week before the race , that the race would nevertheless be run as planned .
Of course , the Comrades organisers also ignored the WA and ASA rules by turning the 16,000 starters into a road measuring 5.5 metres in width , with two 90-degree turns . Even with the restriction of the two 8m wide start gantries , which reduces the flow , over 2000 runners per minute would arrive at Epworth Street after 3.5km .
This junction , which in a well-organised race would only be allowed to carry around 450 runners per minute , soon started to back up , with runners being forced to use verges and pavements that had open excavation holes , low hedges and other restrictions . This clearly ignores various rules of a road race . Also , the minute a safety officer or race organiser acknowledges that there will be a ‘ bottleneck ’ of runners , they are acknowledging that runners will no longer be restricted to the road . That means athletics rules will be broken , and the road is unacceptable .
Marathon event trampled down a permanent 1.8m-high mesh and gum pole fence alongside a field opposite Elka Stadium , just to get to the start . A move of start and stricter security and seeding measures were applied the following year .
Compare that to other countries where I have worked at races . A lack of fencing at the start of a large half marathon in Mumbai , India , and lack of manpower to remove fencing in Mauritius , had zero effect or danger , as the runners themselves helped to control the start situations . In Mauritius , the frontrunners assisted in moving the front fencing and then returned to the start line , with not one person pushing over the line until the gun was fired .
The culture in each country determines to a large extent the level of resources and personnel that need to be allocated to the start . Only by reacting to and stopping the unsafe and ill-disciplined practices one year , can the level of safety be improved for the next . When climbing fences , ignoring officials and bursting through barriers goes without recourse , it quickly becomes acceptable behaviour , and with each escalation , the amount of physical and human resources required to remedy the situation in future years increases .
Safety on the Route
In mass participation events , there is a capacity for each part of the route , and it is possible to calculate the expected peak runner flow per minute at any point on the route . ( Obviously , fewer participants will be expected per minute further down the route , as the field spreads out .) To be considered safe , the road width must be sufficient to cope with that expected number of runners per minute . This isn ’ t just commonsense , but easily calculated , and even available in tabular format for those who have difficulty with multiplication and division , based on years of event research .
C for Casualties
The current international standard for a collapsed runner is for paramedics to be on the scene in under three minutes . Every minute after that is said to result in a 10 % drop in the state of the collapsed runner , and after 10 minutes , the condition of the resuscitated runner is debatable . So , for me , the bigger question is what would happen if runners were injured in that Epworth Road section ? How would medical services see and report them , let alone get into attend to them ? It was literally wallto-fence with runners moving in one direction . The only hope of access would be with the flow of the runners , but how was that going to work when people report up to six minutes of standing still , waiting to get through the bottleneck ?
Even before that , how was the report of a casualty going to be passed ‘ back up the line ?’ On any route , there must be an efficient notification system and access , because the world has long moved on from races claiming to have “ the largest medical facility outside a conflict zone .” Today ’ s events are geared for instant treatment on the road , and where necessary , dispatch to intermediate points , clinics , or hospitals around the course .
For example , China has around 1800 marathons per year , and there , standard medical protocol is a basic first aider and incident reporter every 100 metres , medical professional every 1km , intermediate medical posts every 2.5km , larger posts at key points , and AED ( resuscitation ) paramedics on some form of bicycle or motorcycle roaming 3-5km sectors .
While Comrades media releases literally talk about the size of their medical tent at the finish , the facilities at the finish of Chinese marathons are minimised and often covered by a small 6m x 6m tent , plus ambulances . Of course , a
For instance , 5000 runners doing a 10km will have a maximum of 500 runners per minute after 6km of running . The question then becomes how wide a road do you need to accommodate these runners safely ? A width of around 6.5 to 7 metres of tar road would be required at 6km , and that should also just give sufficient space for an emergency paramedic to find a way through to attend to any collapsed runner or casualty . ( An important point to keep in mind is that both the World Athletics ( WA ) and Athletics South Africa ( ASA ) rules require that races are run between the curbs and on the tar / concrete of the road . Grass verges and pavements are specifically excluded .)
An even bigger field is expected for the 2027 Centenary Comrades , making safety concerns all the more pressing
Meanwhile , at the finish , the peak flow drops to around 300 runners per minute , which can be handled by a 4-metre width , which is one of the standard mat lengths used by many chip timing companies . But the real challenge in this example may be at the start , where theoretically , the road width would need to be around 25 metres , but this is impacted by the width of the available start mat , which in many events would be restricted to an 8-metre gantry and timing mat width . Of course , this determines the time it takes for all the runners to pass the start , but at least at this stage many are walking , so the safety rests with the style of the chosen fencing . Our 5000 10km runners would take around five minutes to finish crossing the line , and hence the benefit of mat-to-mat timing , or the use of wave starts , preventing any significant time-loss at the start for the back of pack runners .
Comrades Concerns
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