Running with Friends

Storming home in my first ever race

I was once a lonely runner. I began running in 2009 at the gym, and it wasn’t long before that was all I was doing at the gym so I took it outside. I don’t know really why I started, but once I did I became addicted to the freedom, the way I felt so strong, the endorphins at the end of a good run. I even entered my first race in 2009 by myself, a small local 10k. I was very nervous and not accustomed to running with or against others. I was 4th female home! My dad was driver and cheered me on, but none of my family nor friends understood why I was running.

You don’t need to lose weight! Running is bad for your knees… Don’t you get bored? It’s dangerous to go out by yourself all those miles. Reading a women’s running magazine helped to stave off the anxieties that a lonely runner often faces. No matter what anyone else said, I was hooked.

Bath Half 2011

 

I progressed with my mileage. I ran a 10 mile race and then my first half marathon in 2011. Racing was addictive, and I love medals. Runners are a friendly bunch, but brief acquaintances at the start line are quickly forgotten when the gun goes and the competition begins.

I became more and more obsessed with race times, mileage covered per week and scrutinising my diet. At the back of my mind I had somewhat fallen out of love with running, and it had become a compulsion.

In 2012 two things happened: I got injured training for a 10k and I met my future husband. He’d always wanted to try running but, being a typical footballer, had no sense of pacing. As I recovered from my knee injury through rest, then walking, then slow runs he accompanied me (and kept me sane!).

Sticking by me during a difficult run

My first half marathon after injury, later that year, was awful. Just back off holiday, I was sick and probably shouldn’t have run. It was Craig’s first half marathon, and my birthday, so quitting was not an option! As I laboured through the race, Craig stayed by my side (even though he could have ran on much faster) and coaxed me through. I was eternally grateful to finish, even if it was nearly 15 minutes slower than my PB. By myself, I don’t think I would have got through. I began to see the real value of not being a such a solo runner.

Fast forward to 2014, and most of my training runs are completed with my now husband. I still run alone from time to time, and race shorter halfs or less solo, but I am more chatty than before and finally embracing the camaraderie of the running community and relishing the support of volunteers and crowds.

Three months ago we joined a running club and immediately loved it. Runners really are some of the best people around, and we have been lucky enough to pick a fantastic club for team spirit, talent and fun. Meeting up with fellow club members before a recent race gave the day a new dimension and sharing stories and advice is priceless.

And finally, my friends and family are starting to wonder – just what is it that attracts Amber to all this running? She’s been doing it for years, there must be something about it! Last weekend, I did my first ever fun run with my sister, best friend and her niece.

Ready to run the Rainbow gauntlet!

I helped my sister in the weeks leading up to it by run-walking our local area. She didn’t quite make it to running a full 5k but the aim of the day was to have fun and raise money for Children’s Hospice South West. We arrived at Bristol Downs for the Rainbow Run last Saturday. She was very nervous and excited, and I couldn’t help but be excited too.

Fun running

All four of us walk-ran the route together – running through the paint stations and posing for our personal photographer (aka Craig who did more running than we did and he didn’t even take part!).

Tango-ed

My legs were itching to go – I wondered what time I could have done – but actually what was more important was supporting my friends on their run – I wanted them to enjoy it and want to do it again, not demoralise them and look like a bit of a d*** by running on!

And they really did enjoy it… and so did I! I love the thrill of a fast 10k or the burn of longer races, inwardly focussing to perfect my pacing and meet my goals. But running is about so much more than that. And sharing your love of running with others, especially those who are nervous or worried about it is a feeling on par with scoring that new PB. I am very proud to have inspired friends and family to take up running and find enjoyment in it. Even when I run alone these days, I am no longer a lonely runner.

Happy runners

If you would like to sponsor us for our run last weekend, you can still donate via Justgiving. Thank you.

Edinburgh Marathon Results Saga

Race results: public property or personal information? This past week and a half the importance of published race results has been a hot topic in some running circles.

Last week I ran the Edinburgh Marathon, read my race report here. Mere minutes after the race, I received a text congratulating me on my time. Following the vast majority of races, an full race results list would be published, usually within 48 hours, and often in the local paper too. However, GSi events, organisers of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival told its participants:

All your personal data and information, including your running times, are treated with great respect. As such your result information is exclusively available to you within your My Details account after you have finished the race. We will only openly publish the top 3 finishers of each race publicly. You will need to log in to get your times, splits and finishing position within the race. You can then choose to share this information as you see fit. They are your results and times.

Now, this information was given to runners prior to the event, although there is some debate as to whether it was hidden initially, but only once the race was over did the outrage begin. Participants quickly realised that this non-publication of results would not allow Runbritain Rankings or Power of 10 to access their results and therefore they could not track their progress or compare their results with other runners easily.

You can search anyone’s results or pictures if you know their name or number

I say ‘not compare them easily’ because you could still compare them without asking other runners directly. On the official race photographer website Marathon-photos.com interested parties need only add the name or race number of a runner to find not only their race time but a suite of photographs. Not so private really?

And why the privacy? There was a lot of speculation doing the rounds on forums and the Edinburgh Marathon Facebook page. These included:

• GSi were concerned that the number of finishers was falling and this would reflect badly to sponsors and their self proclaimed status as the “second marathon in the UK” – well all participants were told they were # out of around 8,600 finishers, so this could easily be obtained
• There was an error with the chip timing and by not publishing the results they could somehow hide this error – well, they had announced their intention not to publish before the race, so I doubt an unforeseen event such as this could have influenced the decision
• There was a lot of opportunity for cheating – the race double back on itself with no barrier, it is conceivable that someone could have switched directions. By publishing splits etc it would allow people to pick out these cheats and, if there were a few, it could undermine their credibility as a race – see above – they announced decision before the race

Whatever the reason, Edinburgh Marathon remain tight lipped for several days, and angry finishers vented on their Facebook page:

An absolute joke that there are no results published. Makes a mockery of the sport. Edinburgh marathon you should be ashamed of yourselves. Have some respect for runner that have worked so hard for their UK rankings/qualifying times

Facebook commenter

This point personally affected me – my 3:43:49 enables me to apply for a Good for Age place at the 2015 London Marathon. If Edinburgh would not publish the results how can I prove my eligibility?

The story made it onto local and national news websites. The general consensus seemed to be that runners either wanted their results published, or didn’t care either way.

Eventually, EMF issued this statement and “compromise”:

Online Publishing of Results – you choose! We would like to congratulate all runners who took part in the 2014 Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Your personal data and information, including your results data, are treated with great respect… we have listened to your feedback and understand that while some of you prefer your results data to be kept private, others will require your times to be published for qualification to meet entry criteria for other events such as Boston or GFA entry… if you want to publish your result online, you will be able to log on to your My Details account and you will see a ‘Online Publication of My Result’ link, which will enable you to publish your result on this page.”

This statement apparently solved the GFA question, but not the rankings, as runners posted that they had contacted Runbritain and Power of 10 who confirmed that, without full listings, they would not be able to update runners’ rankings. The outrage continued.

Some posted directing EMF to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Regulations, which EMF has a Bronze label rating. These seemed to imply that EMF was breaking the regulations and risking losing its Bronze status:

IAAF regulations state that results for all runners must be published asap

3.9.1 Races must provide fully electronic timing by use of active or passive transponders. Real time splits and final results should be made available to media, spectators and online.

3.12.2 Official Results for all participants should be made available on the race’s website within the shortest possible time.

Many also threatened to boycott future GSi events.

It wasn’t until yesterday that EMF finally conceded that they had made an error and issued this long-awaited statement:

We have listened and we got it wrong

Thank you for all your feedback and for telling us what is important to you.  We value our runners and we now know that only publishing your results within your My Details account was the wrong decision. We thought that this was the runner’s preference to receive results exclusively, however we have been listening to your feedback and now understand and accept that this is not appropriate for you.

We have asked people to choose and you have in your thousands.  As such, from now on all results will be fully available on the event website after each race.  Full and final results will continue to be submitted to relevant parties for the purposes of verification of entries to other races and for ranking systems.

We apologise for the inconvenience and stress that this has caused many of you who have been waiting to use results to update your rankings or enter other events. Thank you for bearing with us while we sorted this out, we hope that we now have this right for this year and future years.  We can assure you that we will continue to listen to feedback that our runners give us.

Thank you again to our amazing runners, please keep giving us your opinions and comments as they really do help us deliver the events you want.

Neil Kilgour
Race Director

Yay! They took their time, but EMF and GSi finally saw sense and responded to the onslaught of comments they were receiving. I am not quite sure still where they got the idea that it was runners’ preference not to have their results published – the vast majority assume they will be and even see it as part of the service that they are paying for – but regardless, common sense has prevailed.

That’s my two cents anyway. What do you think? Would you prefer your results to be kept private or should race participants just accept that if they enter an event, their results will be publicised?