Canberra Marathon today - avoid the parliamentary triangle

Canberra Marathon is one of the most significant sporting events in Canberra’s calendar and is one of the most lucrative to the Canberra economy.

I assist in the marathon and it still amazes me that Canberra drivers –yes mostly locals not foreigners– are so goddamn arrogant when it comes to road diversions and detours. Carefully and meticulously planned over many months, with newspaper and radio advertisements, approval from the NCA, the ACT RTA, and the AFP, there are road closures with temporary direction signs and detour signs, there are letter-drops in suburbs affected, and above there are volunteers -yes people who give up their Sunday for free- who are stationed strategically around the course to assist runners and drivers alike. But such planning and assistance doesn’t stop drivers from abusing the volunteers, doesn’t stop drivers from deliberately attempting to get around diversions and potenitally placing runners at risk, and doesn’t stop drivers from being just plain stupid because they can’t read road closed signs and just won’t accept change to their dull and boring lives!

So to those drivers who abuse volunteers and complain and complain that they can’t use the road they normally use well ‘dry your eyes and harden the f%$& up’. Parkes Way and Bowen Drive etc etc are not the only roads to get around in Canberra! Get over it! The roads are closed for a reason… move on! If I had my way, volunteers would have the right to abuse drivers back!

Finally, one mention to the driver that abused one volunteer near Corranderrk St and Parkes Way roundabout and had no regard to safety, your number plate has been sent to the AFP. I hope you get a fine you moron.

While we’re all giggling at the typo, I thought I’d look at the list to see who came last: Raphael Sette in 7 hours, 24 minutes.

I’d be giggling, except he’s 76 years old .. I hope I can walk 42km in 10 hours if I ever make it to age 76. Well done, mate!

Wow – that has put me off ever trying to do a marathon. How could one ever compete with that!?!?!? Well done Crinity.

swissbignose wrote:

swissbignose said :

(I realise it’s a typo.)

Bullsh*t.
With the “two minutes” being spelt out in full that was NOT a typo.

That was one MASSIVE BRAIN FART on the ABC editor’s part.

oh that guy he hitched a ride on the back of my car on the way home this morning 🙂

It’s better now… 2 hours, 26.1 seconds. Who’d have thought that in our little town, the world record (2 hours, 3 minutes, 59 seconds) would be smashed by over three and a half minutes.

Must have been a fast course!

(I realise it’s a typo.)

2 minutes? That’s crazy. Lol.

….an extra 7.805km actually, as a marathon is 42.195km.

And what an extra 7.805km it is!!

I’m told the runners got the chance to do another 8km at the end of the marathon to make it 50km which is the minimum distance of an Ultra-Marathon.

I hope those who did 42km and 50km enjoyed it.

Yet again the Canberra Connect website proves how bad it is when trying to find out how long the roads will be closed for:

Your Search query road closure returned No results

Google to the rescue, it should all be clear by now.