Originally Posted by
Witton Park
There's a serious side to this that AI has raised and Stolly backed up.
I host FRA Races at Witton Park. Hardly hard core fell terrain for those that know it.
But I've had a brief glimpse through the "2014 Guidelines for Race organisers" (haven't had time yet for the other stuff) and I'm really concerned.
Maybe I missed something in the past? But :-
1. Road Crossings - ensured manned by two helpers.
Define a road crossing. I know cart tracks frequented more often by vehicles than the road crossings on my races. But my races do cross a tarmac farm access road and a park tarmac access road so now I have to find 3 extra marshalls or risk being in breach of these guidelines.
2. The virtues of the sticky label system. The document seems to advocate this as the best system to use. So if I don't use this am I on thin ice?
I've used professional IT results and registration for my races. They've worked well. I've been at races where the sticker system has been overwhelmed and also mistake ridden.
Human error - it happens all the time. Am I as RO ro be everywhere?
3. Kit Requirements - "Large Notices" - define??? a4, a3, HOW MANY!!
4. As has been already said "obstacle free first section". I don't know a race with an obsdtacle free first section, because it involves athletes, and they have a tendancy to lose their head at the start and leg each other up.
Perhaps we set them off Time trial style at 1 minute intervals?
5. Gates - they must be marshalled. That's another 2 marshalls. BUT apparently juniors are ideal for marshalling gates so I can find a 12 year old girl and stick them on their own in a secluded wooded area 30 minutes before race start - yeh right!!
6. I have to kit check my marshalls and make sure they head out with hot flasks of tea, coffee or whatever.
7. I need 9 people at the finishing line. 4 with number recording responsibility and 2 with timekeeping responsibility plus others.
What it basically means is that liitle old me who's arranged National Champs, Area Champs, World Trials, County Champs on Road, Fell and Cross Country, will now have to "conform" to some guideleines for fear of being at risk of litigation because they go far too far in setting out what is required - that's if I want to have my races permitted as fell races.
Who are the FRA to advise me where and how many marshalls I need and how many officials I need at the finish? But if I don't do it????
So perhaps I am best not to do it.
If I have these issues at a relatively benign venue like Witton Park, then how about more traditional fell venues? (and I've only looked at the one attachment so far).
By the way, I have to say this dual recording system.
Using registration forms as a head count and if that doesn't tally with the athletes on the start line, establish why?
Has their ever been a race where the athletes registered has tallied with the athletes that set off? I was RO at he NW Road Relays and I had clubs declaring teams within an hour of the start that never raced!!!
That was pre-entered, pre-registered teams where a team manager came up and filled in a declaration slip on the day to confirm that what they had declared on line would run on the day. Each team was 3 - 4 athletes. Some didn't even start a leg 1 runner!!
Anyone who thinks that registration slips is an accurate way of head-counting the starters - well - not a chance.
I can see race starts being delayed ages if any RO takes the position of using on the line head count compared to athletes registered, cos if they don't tally, they can;t start, and 90%+ of the time they are not going to tally.
