With a major 40-50 per cent jump in the number of participants over last year, and something like 2,200 walkers, joggers and runners on the roads at the same time, it is vitally important that everyone follows these rules so that every single one of you has a safe, healthy and thoroughly satisfying Malta Marathon Day experience.
1. Absolutely no accompanying bicycles.
The roads will not be completely closed to traffic. Malta is too small for us to close the major highways we use for up to five hours. As much as possible we will have one lane closed to vehicle traffic, but that single lane must be reserved for race participants only.
There is absolutely no way any individual can show up and expect to be accompanied by a cyclist.
Yes, we understand that it might be your first time, and a huge deal for you. Yes, we understand that it would obviously help you to have someone giving you drinks and motivating encouragement, but you are not alone.
There are well over 2,000 other participants covering the exact same distance. Can you imagine the chaos if everyone showed up with an accompanying cyclist?
So, no cyclists at all. It’s too dangerous. It’s just unsafe for other participants to have cyclists whizzing in and out of groups of runners/walkers who are in various stages of tiredness/distress, no longer so nimble on their feet and unable to “dodge traffic”.
2. Walkers cannot be accompanied by non-registered participants (e.g. children).
There is no space, it’s unfair to others, it’s not fair to the child since he/she is not trained for the event.
Much like the rule above, you know the drill.
3. We have a particular (maybe unique) problem in that we start slower participants (the walkers), followed an hour later by faster runners in the Half Marathon (HM).
Since we will only have a single traffic-free lane at best, we cannot have walkers walking 3-4 or more abreast and taking up the width of the available road and making it difficult for the HM runners to pass.
Walkers should do their best to walk “Indian file” one-after-another, or a maximum of two abreast.
When they get going, the HM runners can be travelling twice as fast as a walker and we do not want any mishaps. Be considerate at all times.
Walkers, if need be, check over your shoulder before you suddenly swerve from one side of the road to the other, some of those HM runners can boogie!
4. Trespassers not allowed.
No unregistered participants can show up and take part without an official LRMM-2011 number.
Think of it this way, since you did not pay, there are no drinks for you (water, Powerade), no sponges or fruit for you...
If you take of these, you are effectively stealing from those participants who did pay to have these provided. You did not contribute to the cost of the organisation, to the cost of the police and traffic wardens who are doing an excellent job of making the roads safe for you.
This is completely unfair to those who paid their full entry fee for the right to take part. As a thoughtful, mature adult, resist any urge or temptation you might feel to do this.
You had ample opportunity to apply legally like everyone else.
5. Between now and Marathon Day, the route is not safe to train on.
On race day we mobilise just about every traffic policeman and warden in Malta to make the roads as safe as possible.
This is not the case on any other day of the year. Several places along the route are extremely unsafe on normal days, so don’t feel that you have to run along the route at least once as some final part of your training, and ignore anyone who recommends that you do so.
As I have said numerous times; if you won a free trip – all expenses paid – to take part in the London, or New York Marathon, you would not go there two or three weeks earlier so you could “try out the route”.
Be safe out there and enjoy your training.
Avoid colds, sniffles and running on tired legs and risking injury, there’s only four weeks to go!
johnzwalsh@yahoo.com