Soweto Half Marathon -2019

Sunday 3 Nov 2019, Soweto, FNB Stadium
21k: entry fee: R180 , start 6:30am (actual gun 6:31)
42k: R250, 5:30am (actual gun 6:02!)
10k: R150, 7:00am (actual gun 7:01)

FINISHERS (capped 40 000):
21k - 10 633 (2018 -6477)
42k - 9 395 (7501)
10k - 4 201 (2140)
TOTAL 24 229(16 118)
Could it reach 40 000? Kaapsehoop marathon with around 10000 runners day before a factor?

-race timing of event: Champion Chip on shoe

**RATINGS 1 bad, 10 perfect

OVERALL RACE (as participant): 6/10

CONDITIONS 4/10
- Race day: Sunday, 3 November 2019
- Conditions: No Clouds, HOT!! 16-30deg, no wind, 20°at start. warm at 6:30am
- Traditionally you prepare for a hot race with no shade on route.
- Shade for 100m at 11k,12k then finishing tunnel
- Clever hydration VITAL

HILLS
- Difficulty (here 10 being steepest overall): 7/10
Mostly downhill first half till 12k, tough long uphills in second half. 12k-16k, 17k-20k with one small nasty at 20.7k
-Hills are not terribly steep just very very long.
- Downhill starts at 2k. DONT get taken away by crowds as its easy to go too fast up to 10k then struggle in second half

CONGESTION(crowd) - 10/10 (10 being 2Oceans)
- 4:00 am good time to arrive for 6:30 start.
- Poor traffic control. No signage on route till you are where you have to be. Traffic marshals thrown to sharks with no info.
- Even when you are at a parking area you have to be eagle eyed to spot the permanent road signs saying which parking you are in.
- Signage by organizers for vehicular traffic 1/10
- Stadium only has dirt/grass parking that you must decide on own how to park!

- runners separate starts and seeded
- Seeding pens enormous for 21k on grass and about 100m parallel away to actual start.
- Marshals doing good job of checking race numbers and squeezing you through small gaps.
- People clearly lied on their voluntary seeding. I was B, how could all these large people next to me be sub 2hr, 21k runners?
- After marathon left 30 mins late(!), 21k moved from pen to start. People ran! i was running at 4:00mins/km to get through crowds. But how??? I was right at the front of B! A is supposed to be faster than me. Where did all these walkers pop out of? Marshals were letting them into A >:( then I see participants were just coming in from the sides of fences like it was their right to do so! So angry. Whats the use of seeding then??
- I lost one minute at start in crowds which i never made up for. At Two Oceans you run with people who are properly seeded as you are, so you go fast as you are capable of, even in the crowds.

MARSHALS 3/10
- Too few marshals for such a big race on route.
- No marshals visible to assist before start to help crowds navigate.
- Marshal portfolio poorly managed
- Marshals not given enough or scant info while on route
- Marshals seem to be working on own initiative. Fortunately some extremely strong and vocal (and friendly) marshals were placed at key busy intersections.
- Marshals succeeded in spite of poor directions given to them.
- There seemed to be alot of reliance on JMPD, who didn't seem all that interested at some intersections.

TRAFFIC CONTROL (JMPD) 6/10
-Traffic Dept visible.
- Not all intersections well managed. taxis and cars squeezing by through runners. JMPD powerless at one or two spots.
- They did an adequate job of keeping people safe.

TRAFFIC ON ROUTE 4/10 (10 being like busy highway)
- Most roads closed or half closed.
- Traffic misbehaving on some parts
- Pretty quiet for most part, road closures did well.
- Too many runners on road for back markers at start.
- 21k merged with 10k at about 18k or 19k. Was very difficult to get through back markers of 10k this late in race on most difficult part of race. Could the timing of the two race starts not be more carefully timed?

ON ROUTE 8/10
- Km marker boards: too small. inadequate
- Water tables: 7/10 coke seemed concentrated in middle of tables. easy to miss in crowds.
- Seemed like enough water
- Bins: not enough
________________________

BEFORE RACE:
NUMBER COLLECTION: 8/10
- V easy at various Sweat Shops.
- GOODIES: 4/10 - only (free) tshirt at expo in bag, no goodies. Race of this prestige could be better quality
- PARKING 7/10 enough parking around to stadium. No ripoff "carguards" felt very secure. Signage wd help
- TOILETS: too many in one area which was fenced around.

AFTER RACE:
- Atmosphere at grounds: 5/10.
- wonderful finish in stadium but no clubs and no food vendors. Sterile atmosphere
-So hot , so little shade
- Was there race announcing?
- SERIOUSLY - Climb all those stairs to receive medal and coke??

- MEDAL DESIGN 6 - expect more from this size race

White people stayed away
Potential to be great
I would do again next year because race is tough and good

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