Sponsored by
Campaign grows to save Half Marathon
THE Yorkshire Evening Post is joining runners across the city in urging the council to rethink the cancellation of this year's Half Marathon.
Today we are calling on Leeds City Council to re-instate the 22-year-old race. The council yesterday said a committee of watchdog councillors would now review its decision to cancel the run, possibly before the end of this week.
TO ADD YOUR VIEWS AND SEE OTHER VIEWS ON THIS, CLICK HERE.
Its Overview and Scrutiny Committee has "called in" the decision made by council officials. It means after hearing why officers felt it necessary to cancel this year's 13.1 mile challenge, the councillors will face three options – agree to the cancellation, ask officials to reconsider or request that the final decision be taken by the authority's Executive Board.
YEP editor Paul Napier said: "The Leeds Half Marathon has been a well-established, well-run and highly successful event for many years, bringing great credit to our city and deserved applause for the organisers.
"It is madness that the plug should be pulled on this year's event. More than 100 readers wrote to us within 48 hours of the news breaking that the race was off, more in that space of time than on any other issue in the last few years.
"It is all well and good the council saying that it will consult people about whether or not there should be a race in 2009, but why wasn't that done before cancelling this year's event?
"It's not too late.
Leeds City Council websiteThe Leeds Half Marathon should be re-instated immediately."
Bob Jackson, chairman of Valley Striders running club in Alwoodley, said if the authority made a U-turn it still had "plenty of time to organise it" as it has 22 years experience under its belt.
Coun John Procter, executive board member for leisure, said council officers had taken many factors into account in reaching their decision.
He said the council was putting a lot of effort into the Jane Tomlinson 10k, which last year attracted 8,000 runners and was expected to have 12,000 entrants this year.
He said it was an appropriate time to review the half-marathon's long-term future and cancelling this year's event should not be taken as a signal that the council intended to end it for good.
The Tomlinson family had no involvement in making the decision.
Council officers advised councillors to ditch this year's race, in part because it was scheduled within weeks of Jane's Run for All but also because of complaints from drivers, residents and businesses over disruption caused by road closures in previous years.
Keen runners are frustrated at losing the city's only half marathon, while there are two 10k city-centre road races.
And if the council refuses to reverse its decision, rebels plan to run the route regardless.
Mark Hetherington, Abbey Runners' club coach, said: "If it comes together and its the only effective way of letting the council know how runners feel, certainly I would do it."
Writing on the Runner's World website forum one disgruntled athlete said: "Let's do a protest run – I would love a mass of people on a May Sunday morning running down North Street in their hundreds."
The cancellation of this year's half marathon will be discussed by the council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday January 23 at 10am.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Politics: Mark Hookham's Westminster blog - 5.33pm
- Castleford RSPB Fairburn Ings: High wire act Swallows’ summer parade
- Worker dies on North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Video: Restaurant reopens on Leeds Harry Ramsden’s site after £500,000 refit
- Chocolat author will tempt guests at Leeds Big Bookend Festival
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
