Following a detailed course assessment on the river yesterday and a review of the final set of pre-entries received before the cut-off yesterday evening, we have taken the decision to postpone the 2014 Frank Luzmore Marathon by two weeks, to Sunday 19th January. See updated race info.
This was a difficult decision to make as moving or changing races at the last minute is not ideal for those who have entered. Although we could have run a race with additional safety measures and some restrictions on entry classes, we felt that in the end the restrictions on entries would have been damaging to the spirit of the race. We did not consider moving to an alternative course this time since postponement is a more viable option this year with fewer other events in January, and there was firm support for seeing the race moving back onto the Thames.
The weather forecast remains mixed for the next couple of weeks leading up to the 19th, though of course this may change nearer the time. In the event of the challenging conditions continuing we will again consider the possible contingencies, which include
- Running the original course with possible restrictions on age and paddling ability / marathon ranking
- Running an alternative canal-based course
- Further postponement, if a suitable date is available and an improvement in the conditions looks likely
Again, our preference remains to run the course on the Thames but we will consider other options as above. What seems certain is that in order to run on the Thames this year we will need to enforce additional safety measures, specifically compulsory buoyancy aids for some or all classes and the mandation of fixed boat buoyancy at both ends of racing craft, which will be checked before the start.
If you have entered via the online system then your entry has been received and we will publish a list shortly. We had received 78 entries at the close of play yesterday, and the system will now remain open for a further 2 weeks until Thursday 16th January. Please, if you are considering racing put your names down via the website as it allows us to make a better informed decision on what further action to take should the conditions remain challenging.
For any modifications to entries already submitted, please send an email to marathon@richmondcanoeclub.com with the changes.
