Being Part of A Fantastic Event
Last Sunday (5th May 2019) Quantum had the opportunity to provide traffic management services for the Newport Marathon, hosted and organised by ABP. We were there well before the races began. We got to see all the runners in action, as well as the live bands that put on amazing performances throughout the day.
The event itself was televised and broadcast by some local, national and international TV networks including some big ones like Sky Sports, S4C, Fox Sports, ESPN and British Euro Sport.
How Did the Traffic Management Go?
Well, we do love a challenge! We managed the traffic for last year’s event too so we knew all the ins and outs in advance.
As you can imagine there were large crowds of people throughout the city, some cheering on their loved ones and some watching for fun or to support charities. Despite the large crowds and hectic schedule, we’re proud to say that our team did a fantastic job at managing the traffic that day, and we conducted ourselves with professionalism throughout.
What We Actually Did
Being in charge of road closures is an important job and an essential part of all events, particularly within built-up areas. Timing is crucial! Some of the roads were closed the evening before, but we arrived bright and early at 6am to close the rest off in time for the first race to begin.
The race started and finished in Usk Way, Runners Village at 9am, so that was our first port of call. Between 6am and 9am we carried out a stop and go system in some locations along the route so that traffic was still able to flow through, but in a controlled way. Once the race started, all roads were closed.
When the runners thinned out we were able to reinstate the stop and go system for certain roads, ensuring we didn’t effect the main running route.
We aimed to re-open each road as soon as possible to minimise traffic disruption. As soon as the last runner made their way out of each section, we removed the closures so that traffic could return to normal. This technique actually halves the amount of disruption involved.
We were there ready and waiting for the last of the 6000 runners to cross the finish line in order for us to clear it away and remove all related accessories.
The process was extremely well organised and everyone involved worked swiftly and efficiently.
The Main Race Results
Witnessing thousands of competitors racing was a fantastic site and the huge crowds added to the overall atmosphere of excitement and motivation.
Newport had its very own champion in the women’s category, namely Carla Swithenbank who completed the 26.2 mile race in just 02:45:47. Her time was less than a minute over last year’s women’s winning time which was achieved by Natasha Cockram. Natasha completed the race in 02:44.58 in 2018.
In the men’s category we saw Chris Bird complete the race in an impressive 02:31:34, closely followed by Scott Harrington who was just 1-2 minutes behind Chris throughout the whole race. Chris’ time actually beat last years winner’s time of 02:33:31, which was achieved my James Carpenter.
The 10K and Family Race
The 10K race begin at 9:40. It’s winner in the women’s category was Charlotte Taylor-Green who finished in 0:34:44. The winner for the men’s category was Cardiff’s Matt Clowes, completing the 10K in 00:29:43.
A little later in the day at 12:35, the crowd welcomed the runners of the family fun run which saw people of all ages participating in a fun, less competitive 1mile race.
A Charitable Cause
Many participants ran in support of their chosen charities including Age Cymru, Llamau, Latch and NSPCC, to name just a few.
The supporting Leader charity for this year’s event was the NSPCC who are on a mission to stop child abuse throughout the country. To join their team runners were required to pay £5 each and were requested to raise at least £300 for the main marathon event, or £150 for the 10K run. In return they offer their team members personalised training plans, an expert training day, and refreshments after the race, among other things.
A Successful Day
The Newport Marathon saw success from all involved. Our Quantum team managed traffic brilliantly and we’re now looking forward to next year’s marathon and our next big event.
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All images are courtesy of Run for Wales Flickr account, please check out the link below for the images shown and some great images from the day.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/117994157@N06/albums/7215770844019359
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Article Written by Laura Rice – Your Content Creator