The Chengdu Marathon is also being asked to jump through Majors hoops
ASK YOURSELF WHY
C o l u m n
Images : Mark Sampson , Katie Chan / Wikipedia & courtesy Chengdu Marathon
The point is that Chinese cities and culture have evolved to make road running , and marathons , the number one participation sport in China , and with its 1.43 billion population , China is the fastest-growing recreational running country in the world . Expecting a direct flight to European and American cities that are a fraction of the size , and smaller running markets , surely defeats the objective ?
Running Cultures Differ
Of the three current Abbott candidates , Cape Town , Chengdu and Sydney , only the Australian city has progressed to the second stage of assessment . One wonders if that has to do with the more parallel and comparable cultures between Australian and Euro-American racing formats ?
In my opinion , it appears that the Abbott candidate criteria may be geared towards ‘ exporting ’ Euro-American standards and expectations to other countries , and yet most runners would surely prefer to experience the host country and local race cultures , providing the basic requirements of health , safety , medical response , distance , timing , results , and performance are provided at expected international standards .
If runners fly to India , they would want an Indian experience , Africa an African experience , and China a Chinese experience , not a London Marathon experience in China , or a New York Marathon experience in Sydney . Although the ‘ Majors ’ may be the most commonly acknowledged and mentioned race , and cleverly offer the recreational runner a ‘ six-star ’ medal for completing the entire series , these events do not represent the world of road running as a whole .
Accessing International Races
The Association of International Marathons and distance races ( AIMS ) was founded in 1982 and was debatably the first organisation that promoted road races around the World . This association is a network of race organisations that must have officially measured courses and must be sanctioned by their local federation , and currently , it has over 480 members in more than 120 countries . AIMS provides a useful fixture list for the prospective running tourist , and until the 2000 ’ s , seven
Athletes may not want a European / US marathon experience in Africa or Asia
South African events had taken membership . At present , however , despite the global growth in AIMS membership , only the Comrades Marathon has maintained its membership amongst these SA events .
The 2015 IAAF elections and subsequent evolution of World Athletics brought the establishment of a Road Running department , and recognition that these events are making a major contribution to the development and sustainability of the sport of athletics . This has been further emphasised by the expansion of the Road Running department to include Mass Participation , Ultras , Trail running , and Mountain Racing . To a degree , the World Athletics activities and Label programme are now overshadowing AIMS – other than its role of being an association of race organisers – in promoting events around the world . This is important at a global level , as it provides a tentative link to the World body , as unlike SA , event organisers in most countries are not required to be affiliated to their national federation .
The Label programme , which saw a record 256 races receive Label status last year , and with even greater numbers expected for 2024 , requires events to be sanctioned by their national federation , and therefore assists in a formal connection to the sport . The Label system grades events as Label , Label Elite , Gold and Platinum , according to levels of organisation and performance aspects . In addition to federation sanctioning , the distance must be certified by a World Athletics-certified course measurer , while race operations , timing , medical , safety , refreshments , media and anti-doping provisions must meet set minimum standards . The number and quality of the elite athletes , pacers and prize money are also key in determining the Label status . This provides the travelling runner with reasonable confidence of a well organised race , and assurance that their result can be taken as credible .
The Dollar Dilemma
Last year there were only 11 Label races in Africa , with four in South Africa , two of which were organised by Eastern Province Athletics , which has gained a reputation for its well organised races . Nigeria is the first African country to have two Gold Label events : The Lagos Marathon pays a US $ 50,000 first prize , and the Okpekpe point-to-point 10km has over $ 20,000 for its first prize ! Morocco , Gabon and Kenya are amongst the other Label holders , but this is about to be extended , as many newer events in Africa reach the required third edition and gain federation sanction , in order to join the programme .
However , a huge challenge for African organisers ( and those from South American , Indian and other such countries ) is that the World Athletics Label costs are provided in Dollars , but the value and buying power of a Dollar in Europe and USA is totally different to that of Africa . While the $ 3000 application fee for a Label Marathon ($ 20,000 for Platinum ) may be small change for European organisers , R55,000 is a more impactful amount for the likes of Durban International Marathon – or a massive R370,000 if the race wants to qualify for Platinum Label status .
This has been raised with World Athletics , and hopefully two or three currency regions may be forthcoming at some stage . One suggestion is that the fee structure should be compared to a country ’ s average entry fee structures , and the hope is to make the hosting of Label events more universally affordable .
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