A two minute rant before I go out my lunch run.
It’s October 2016. Callum Hawkins sets a Scottish Half marathon record. Behind him thousands of people run their hearts out having trained for months. I watch my running pals, proud of their achievements. But it counted for nothing. Great Scottish Run had measured the course wrong. For this to happen in such a big race, such an expensive race, an iconic race, wasn’t good enough. They grovelled to everyone, it won’t happen again, we have learned blah blah blah blah. People accepted it because of how iconic it is and on we go.
October 2022. Eilish McColgan breaks European 10k record. Behind her thousands of people run their hearts out having trained for months. I watch my running pals, proud of their achievements. I was among them, I had run the 10k of my life. But it counted for nothing. Great Scottish Run and Great Run events had measured the course wrong. Really? Again?
“We won’t do it again, have 10% off next year’s event.” Really? Read the room Great Run, this isn’t going to wash.
This is one of the most expensive races on the Scottish calendar. The money that must have been generated by this event and they can’t do the simplest of things again, measuring a course. Human error they say. So you trust one person to put cones out? No one checks? What exactly is the run or event director doing then? You think offering 10% discount off an event that has got it majorly wrong twice now is acceptable? Why should anyone pay any more money to Great Run who are showing such disregard for their customers?
For me it’s back to the local races and club run races. They care about their runners. They are run by runners and people that understand runners. An event that doesn’t deliver what is promised should refund the customers and issue a real apology rather than a matter of fact patronising email. That’s good that you have apologised personally to Eilish, but what about looking after the people whose money lines your pockets?
Your events are now tarnished, a sham, and you are antagonising the people who make the events, the runners.
Yes, look at yourselves internally because clearly internally it’s shambles. Yes make sure it doesn’t happen again. But look as if you actually give a shit about it and put your hands in your pocket to make right what you have done wrong.
“Great” Scottish Run? Not any more.
Edit: the BBC contacted me after this post, their wee bit is here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63319890.amp
markgall 
Great points well made.
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Thank you, appreciate that.
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Completely agree on all points. I’ve done the half once, my first half marathon, and I’ve always felt I’d like to do it again to see my improvement since then but I’ll probably not bother now. Not only because they’ve managed to get it wrong twice but because of the cheek of offering 10% off to the people that they have done nothing to persuade to return again at all! Their first thought should have been how to make sure these runners aren’t lost customers, not assuming they’ll need 10% off when they sign up again.
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aye I must admit that was the thing that annoyed me the most, you’d probably get the same discount signing up early bird anyway… Thanks for reading though, appreciate it.
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