 | Image from the new Mark Rauterkus public domain photo album called signs. |
Some road closings start tonight for Great Race Some road closings will begin tonight in advance of the 29th running of the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race on Sunday morning.Better yet, and this was the case with the now defunct Pittsburgh Marathon, don't run the race on the roads. Move a good portion of the race off of the roads, then things go much more smoothly.
The Finish Line area, located at Penn Avenue and Liberty Avenue between Stanwix Street and Commonwealth Place and Stanwix Street between Penn Avenue and Liberty Avenue, will close at 7 p.m. today and will remain closed until 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Marathon was designed to snarl traffic. It needed way to many police officers, on bonus pay. It needed too many road blocks. It was a major road nightmare. Many of the churches had trouble too.
We should hold a marathon in this city -- and not utilize the roads but when necessary. Then use only a bit of the roads so as to night tie up major roads from start to finish.
Run the race down the busway. Run the race on a river path. Run a race in a park. Run a race on Sarah Street -- not East Carson Street. Run a race in an out-and-back fashion too. Or, run the race in loops.
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5 comments:
Rob, there is no way you'd run a marathon on a 1 mile track. Give me a break. That is just absurd.
A Triathlon series in Texas, 3 races, had Olympic distance, 1/2 Ironman and Ironman. The run loop was 3x for the Ironman. It went around a lake. Very easy to do and not too much redundancy.
Rob, I feel the pain of not having a marathon. The city is diminished a great deal without the race.
However, I also saw the pain of having a marathon the way it was staged.
And, most of all, the marathon died. It was killed by Tom Murphy. I have no political respect for Murphy and he is to blame for many failures around here.
The way the marathon was staged led to its death.
It can be re-born in a much better way and LIVE.
As to the public safety elements -- I dare say that is a 'stretch.'
If you want to learn about and train with polyvinyl chlorine and emergency routes -- do that. There are few transfered skills.
If you want to hold training for a disaster -- hold training for a disaster.
It is a disaster that the city doesn't have a marathon.
Go figure.
I coach and tell my kids -- practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
To do what you are not really doing but doing another thing is why the city is in the toilet now.
This is why the the Wabash Tunnel is owned by PAT, a port authority. This is why the stadiums got a bulk of its funding from the sewer authority. Go figure.
Do what you do. And do it well. Don't do something else when you are doing this.
The web they weave chokes us all. You can't defend it unless you are happy there is no marathon. I know that isn't the case.
An argument for another time -- sure. Delay the death. Delay the hard decision. Delay the future.
We need folks in Pittsburgh, like you Rob, to get to the roots of the problems and own up to the short fallings.
Now I got to go to the Great Race Expo as Grant and I are going to do the 5K.
And, if it was up to me, the Great Race would be a 10 K only. The marathon would be a marathon -- only. Screw the add-ons. If you want to have a 5K -- have a 5K. If you want to have a hunger walk, hold a hunger walk. If you want a disaster drill, hold a disaster drill.
Everything and everybody and every action needs to be accountable and pull its own weight. Otherwise, nothing is accountable.
Now you're talking.
I did the Great Race. I looked more and more at what was going on behind the scenes. I saw the radio volunteers and tents and such.
I get your points.
Good to know Pgh was at the cutting edge in this effort, in the past. Gone now.
So, we should have marathons being sponsored by .... UPMC, of course, and Homeland Security, and the Marine Corps. (grin)
Gotta run.
I've got more Qs later -- for YOU.
What about running on asphalt vs. concrete?
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