Athletics Ireland has issued an apology following a serious blunder during the Great Ireland Run on Sunday, April 16, 2023, which resulted in the 10K event being cut by 1.5 kilometers.
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Athletics Ireland has issued an apology following a serious blunder during the Great Ireland Run on Sunday, April 16, 2023, which resulted in the 10K event being cut by 1.5 kilometers. The Great Ireland Run and Dublin City Harriers competition, held in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, was scheduled to include the Athletics Ireland National 10K Road Race Championships. However, because of the course error, the results have been deemed invalid. Both a competitive race and a mass participation event are offered at the Great Ireland Run.
At about the 3 km point, the marshals unintentionally led the runners off the course, leading them to skip a 1.5 km circuit and arrive at the finish line early, covering only 8.5 km. As a result, there were no prizes given out following the Great Ireland Run. In a statement, Athletics Ireland expressed regret about the unfortunate event and blamed it on “unforeseen circumstances.” They also stated that if additional information becomes available, they will notify National 10K Championship participants.
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Jake O’Regan of the St. John’s Athletic Club won the men’s competition in the Great Ireland Run, finishing the course in 26:08. His title of National Champion will now be void, nevertheless. O’Regan posted about his disappointment on Instagram, saying that even though he had crossed the finish line in first position, he was deeply disappointed at missing out on what would have been his first-ever National championship and a major life achievement. He expressed gratitude to his followers and promised to continue despite the setback.
The founder of Run Republic, Paddy Ryan, tweeted his thoughts about the race, highlighting its significance for all competitors, regardless of their level of expertise. When registering for the Great Ireland Run, Ryan said that people expect to get what they paid for, and many had made plans and milestones around the event. He demanded that Athletics Ireland either issue refunds to participants or offer more than just an apology.
Elite runners of the Great Ireland Run were not the only ones who felt disappointed and irritated. There were about 2,000 runners in the race, and many of them were first thrilled when they crossed the finish line and thought they had broken personal records. As they rapidly learned that their results were similarly invalid, their happiness swiftly gave way to disappointment. Several competitors expressed their displeasure with the race organizers on Twitter, although they have not yet said whether refunds will be given. Athletics Ireland made an announcement in response to the incident that they will work with Dublin City Harriers to look into the events that caused the race to be misdirected.
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