Although it managed to attract 7,000 runners, the Montpellier Marathon was heavily criticized on social networks. Especially on the distances, which were longer than those announced.
“You saw, we did almost 22 km!” Looking at their connected watch, at the arrival of the Montpellier half-marathon, many competitors did not understand. Others were disappointed with their times, not knowing that they had done about 800 meters more than the official distance.
On the marathon, the 1,205 “finishers” had covered nearly 43 km. We were far from the official distances (42.2 and 21.1 km). This gross error for a race claiming the FFA label (French Athletics Federation) was the main grievance formulated by the runners, from the same day, on social networks. But it was not the only one.
Disappointed runners
“It must soon be my 25th marathon, and this is the first time that I have not seen any signs or markings on the ground indicating the km on the course”indicated a participant. “No trash at the first refueling”lamented another. “It shocked me that I was given a medal with the date of 2020”, confessed another. This was the year this race was originally planned…
“Both happy and frustrated”
“I’m happy to have won but frustrated that my record was not approved.” Winner of the Montpellier semi in 1h18’36, Marie Perrier calculated that she would have achieved 1h15’48 if the distance had been real, which would have allowed her to beat her national record (she represents Mauritius).
A disappointment shared, to a lesser degree, by all the riders who came to seek a time or a qualification. 10th in the half, Stéphane Jolivet was not in the rhythm for the victory yesterday.
“But during my first participation, I was in the leading group when we had been victims of a course error. Same thing the second time, when I was running in the relay, I found myself in a parking lot.”
Manager of the Foulées store, near the station, he has seen participants in the marathon or semi parade in recent weeks. “I told them to pay attention to the course, especially towards the end. It’s true that it’s easier to let go on social networks than to organize races. But the runners who feel wronged are also those who train the most. They are entitled to expect the organizer to check the length of the courses themselves, especially when there are 7,000 runners.”
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So many disappointments that many weighed against the price of registrations ranging from 23 to 30 € for the half, from 47 to 56 € for the marathon, and from 90 to 110 € for each relay team (from 4 to 6 people) .
The event is also supported by local authorities. The City of Montpellier pays €39,000 and the Métropole €40,000. They also provide logistical and communication support. The municipalities crossed also secure the route.
An organizer’s response
On the distance error, Florent Le Derf, one of the organizers, pleads not guilty. “It’s absolutely not our responsibility. It was the official measurer who made a mistake, and it’s the first time it’s happened to me in fifteen years. I’m the first to be sorry.”
“The problem is that the marathon was 500m longercontinues the organizer, a bit annoyed. If he had done 500 m less, everyone would have been happy with his time and no one would have talked about it. The race had the FFA label, even if we know we will lose it.” A version refuted by the Occitanie Athletics League.
“It was complicated because of the weather”
“As for the absence of mileage signs, we chose not to put them on because they were very large. With their wind resistance, they would have been dangerous. It was complicated on Sunday because of the weather, a lot of flaggers also let us down.”
“I participate in a lot of races in France and it’s normal to have a requirement when you line up for the Montpellier marathonemphasizes Florent Le Derf. I’ve been working on the project for a year and I haven’t slept for 48 hours. But I observe that while some runners were helping us to tidy up, others were already criticizing us on social networks.
And to conclude: “What I especially remember from this day is the standing ovation of the participants, the companies, the humanitarian associations. There, we are giving the Restos du Coeur all that we have left of supplies.”
Patricia Alt, president running Ligue Occitanie athlete: “We will have to learn the lessons”
Is the League involved in the course error?
No not at all. It is I who usually measure the distances of the marathon, but the organizer did not warn me until March 2, telling me that the course had to be remeasured following work on the Carnon bridge. However, he knew as early as October 2021 that this work was planned (the bridge is closed from January 10 to March 31). I had been waiting since January for him to call me. We could have found a fallback solution. But on March 2, I could no longer come personally and he contacted an official measurer from another region.
Was the race labeled by the Federation?
No, the president of MA2M (Montpellier Athletic Méditerranée Métropole), organizing club, had been informed by official letter that the race could no longer have the label this year, because of the distance problem. We had advised the club to inform the runners by email but that was not done. Hence the disappointment of the participants on arrival.
Is this kind of distance problem common?
There had already been one last year with the same club, during the 10 km of Montpellier. The start and finish had been moved after the filing of the file. There are rules and you have to follow them. We will have to learn lessons so that it does not happen again. We will hold a meeting to help this club.
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