Mandatory kit?
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Thompson | Jun 25 2023, 9:22pm | I recently ran my first IMRA of the year and whilst it was a well organised event and an enjoyable day, it raised some serious questions. It won't take you long to work out the race and people involved if you wanted to but I don't want the issue to become personal, however one of the podium finishers wasn't carrying ANY of the mandatory kit. When I raised the topic with the RD shortly after finishing he wasn't in the slightest bit fussed. As an infrequent member of the community it didn't leave the best impression. Its disappointing to see the lack of consistency and consideration for other runners. In my opinion, runners that did follow the rules were then put at a disadvantage having to carry extra gear and there is the obvious disregard for safety. I see lots of stern warnings on races that a failure to carry mandatory kit results in an automatic disqualification, but is this not actually the case? Are race rules at the discretion of the RD to impose? Is mandatory kit not actually mandatory? Or am I being a moaning git and should I just get on with it? Keen to hear peoples thoughts and maybe someone from the committee would like to comment? With respect Pete |
| Ricki Wynne | Jun 25 2023, 10:41pm | What was the mandatory kit for the 25km race .. surely it was only a waterproof jacket so the winner may have been wearing a waist belt you couldn’t see with the jacket in side ? Reason I say this is because that’s what I’d do and just run with a handheld bottle! If the race is longer obviously there is a need for more mandatory kit ! |
| Niamh Kelly | Jun 26 2023, 12:05am | Hi Peter, I was RD for the ultra yesterday and I will look into it further and chat with committee Niamh |
| Peter Thompson | Jun 26 2023, 8:39am | That was my first thought as well Ricki but he told me at the start he didn't have anything, or need anything. The kit for this race was a jacket, phone, water and food. More than I would have chosen to carry but not an unreasonable ask given the distance and conditions. |
| Eoin Keith | Jun 26 2023, 10:22am | Hi All, I'm posting with my committee hat on to answer some of the question and issues raised here! Mandatory Kit is indeed just that, Mandatory. RD's do not have discretion to discard IMRA race rules. Peter, you're not being a moany git at all! Personally speaking, I'm very happy to see someone raise issues around race fairness, rather than let them go. It is up to each runner to be aware of all the IMRA race rules. In the case of this race there was quite a lot of discussion around mandatory kit on the forum prior to the race, so any runners paying attention should have been well aware of the requirements. Anyone found to be not carrying the required Mandatory Kit with them in any IMRA race should be automatically disqualified from the race. This ensures fairness for all runners. The committee have be looking at the mandatory kit requirements recently, as it happens, and there is likely to be an update to the rules soon. |
| Marc Wallace | Jun 26 2023, 10:53am | Hi, I am the person who did not have a mandatory kit, reason being this was my first ever imra event and I didn’t read anything into it I just new time/place to be. If I’d had of read about mandatory kit I would of had one on me but being new to all this I didn’t know. Sorry for the inconvenience I have caused and I promise it won’t happen again. If I am to be disqualified I accept the terms. I can only learn from my mistakes. I must admit it was an unreal experience I did get lost a few times trying to follow the yellow man I had to stop wait for second place a few times to make sure I was on right track. I don’t believe I had an advantage as I didn’t drink any water nor take any food I just run. As I’ve said before I won’t make that mistake again to have mandatory kit with me. Have a wonderful day. Kind regards Marc Wallace. |
| Mick Hanney | Jun 26 2023, 12:30pm | As it was Marc's first IMRA race there might be room here for benefit of doubt. The details are mentioned on the race event and in the forum thread for sure, but not everyone reviews these in detail. A lesson learned for sure. |
| Peter Thompson | Jun 26 2023, 3:48pm | Thanks for the responses on this! Eoin - lots of that is very reassuring to hear and I'm glad it's been taken seriously. My concern was how the lack of action might undermine the standard IMRA hopes to maintain moving forward. Lillian has been in touch as well and shared a similar opinion. Marc - fair play for chipping in. As I say, it wasn't a personal thing and it's good learning for the future. You ran a great race and I'll look forward to the next one ;) |
| Miriam Maher | Jun 26 2023, 9:37pm | Evening all Before I follow up on the issue highlighted by Peter and the outcome reached, I wanted to say a huge well done to all the SEL crew that planned, developed, and delivered the Slieve Bloom Races at the weekend. The amount of behind-the-scenes work, co-ordination and thought that went into ensuring three races in a new location for IMRA would be delivered on the same day and safely was immense. Well done to Niamh, Gaelan and Brian on their terrific work. Based on the level of feedback, it's clear that a very enjoyable day out was had by all those that took part. Mandatory kit is mandatory kit. Marc, well done on your racing performance, great to have you at the IMRA races, however unfortunately we will have to disqualify your result due to the confirmation that you didn’t carry the mandatory kit. I want to applaud your quick and honest follow up on this matter and we really hope to see you again at another IMRA race soon. We are satisfied that Brian, as RD, and his team communicated all the requirements in advance and on the day itself and that they did all that could be reasonably expected on this front and in relation to the overall safety set up for the race. The matter when brought to Brian’s attention on the day was always due to be followed up. It can be easier said than done to do that on the day and especially on day like Saturday with all the complex needs of a multi race event. Peter, thank you for raising this matter. As Eoin said, never a problem someone challenging any issue over race fairness in a race. So, on behalf of the committee, very well done again to all those involved as volunteers on Saturday and those that raced. I hear the heat was quite a challenge but loved the feedback about how nice the routes were, how sociable it was and how well supported everyone was by the volunteers. Thanks Miriam |
| Brian Smyth | Jun 26 2023, 10:15pm | Hi Pete , well done on a great race on Saturday , I am glad you enjoyed the event for the most part. We had very hard working volunteers who gave up their free time to make the event as enjoyable as possible for all the runners; so we appreciate your initial positive feedback. Firstly, and as Miriam has outlined above, I would just like to ensure you that the safety of runners was very much at the forefront of our priorities for these races. No stone was left unturned in that regard. Hence the emphasis on mandatory kits for all of the races in the first place. Hence the extra marking on the halfish route. Hence Mountain Rescue on standby. In my opinion, there was certainly no disregard for safety from an organizational point of view. I feel we both have different perceptions on our brief interaction after the race. We will have to agree to disagree on that, as I’ve no intention of getting into a debate on a public forum. At the time my intention to follow up on your concerns unfortunately got side-tracked. I apologise if you felt that it should have been dealt with there and then ,and in hindsight ideally it should have been, but at that very moment my main priority was physically getting more water to the last aid station (in the interest of runner safety, considering the conditions) and getting more liquids to the finish line also. As I’m sure you will appreciate things were very busy at the finish line of a 3 race event at that particular time; with a lot of moving parts, logistics being planned and various conversations happening. It becomes almost like triage in a way, certain things just need to get prioritised. No doubt there are certainly some learnings for me, as RD, to take away from the day also. Every day is a school day as they say. As mentioned by Miriam , and just for clarity to all ,runners for the half were advised on the mandatory kit requirement on the IMRA forum , on the IMRA race event page , via email on the Thursday before the race, before boarding buses on the morning of the race and at race briefing itself . As Eoin and Miriam have both pointed out above, IMRA rules are not at the discretion of the RD, and mandatory kit is of course mandatory. I think that this is very important. I also think that you were right to highlight it. Having spoken to Marc on the subject I think he has taken the outcome graciously. You had a great race Marc, and we hope to see you come back again next year. Same to you Pete. Overall I think we had a fantastic day, and everyone making the journey was much appreciated. We were delighted to see such big numbers, and very proud to show off our local hills and trails. Many thanks |
| David Power | Jun 27 2023, 11:45am | [I jest] First we had #leg6gate / #rule7gate and now we have #mandatorykitgate. What next? #stilegate #chipgate #tapegate |
| Alan Kennedy | Jun 27 2023, 12:02pm | You forgot #SaveHowth(gate) |
| Peter Thompson | Jun 27 2023, 3:11pm | Thanks Miriam and Brian for your feedback on this. I completely agree it was a very successful event and there was clearly a huge amount of effort put in to all three races. Speaking from my experience of the 25k, it ran very smoothly and I agree the communication before and during was very clear. I in no way meant this to deflect from that or take away from the event and the effort volunteers put in. Brian, totally recognise that we may have experienced that exchange differently and you had a million things going on. It's not a job I envy you for! Thanks for the quick response and handling of the situation, it's reassuring to know there is no compromise on safety and the quality of organisation put in to events. Already looking forward to the next one. |
