The Dublin Half Marathon Review was published today. This review was conducted on the back of the major traffic and travel disruption caused when the event moved from its traditional location in the Phoenix Park to Newbridge House and Demesne in Donabate.
There were a number of recommendations issued in the report, but probably the most pertinent piece for runners is the news that the Half Marathon will return to the Phoenix Park next year:
The Chairman of Dublin Race Series, Jim Aughney said: “We would like to apologise again to all runners affected by the delay on the day. This was the first year running the event at this location. We had a full and comprehensive traffic management plan in place. It is clear however that there were shortcomings and we will take on board the findings to improve the Race Series for 2018. We will revert to the Phoenix Park for the SSE Airtricity Half-Marathon in 2018.”
I think this will be welcome news to most runners as, aside from the issues with Newbridge House, the Phoenix Park is more attractive for runners travelling longer distances. For example, in the past I’ve taken the train up and back, hopped on the free shuttle bus from Heuston, and generally had a really enjoyable event….which I look forward to doing again in the future.
The report goes into a lot more detail about what happened on the day and how this could be improved upon. It also includes recommendations for managing other events in Newbridge House. The report was completed by former Dublin City Area Manager Charlie Lowe. Here are some of it’s main recommendations:
A baseline assessment of Newbridge House and Demesne, as a venue for hosting events, needs to be carried out.