Runners stopped in their tracks on last leg of race
DID the PSNI stop marathon runners in their tracks at one of the most gruelling points of the race?
That was the question being asked yesterday after reports of a backlog of ferry traffic caused police to halt the runners in an attempt to ease congestion.
Coming up to the last leg of the marathon, just before the 20-mile mark, which many runners cite as the point where the physical and mental struggle really sets in, participants met with frustrated drivers and were forced to give way.
As organisers defended the planned route, and emphasised it had been well publicised in advance, drivers were angry at the disruption.
Media expert Don Anderson was among those affected. He said: "The lorries were queued as far as I could see. It was just an annoyance for me but for the truck drivers this could have cost money, they have deadlines for retail deliveries.
"It is a daft piece of routing. You can't cut off airports or ports like that. The truck drivers were spitting mad."
The disruption occurred at around midday, with drivers exiting the docks area backed- up on Dargan Road in north Belfast, which runners crossed as part of the route.
A police spokeswoman said it lasted less than an hour.
"Police became aware of traffic delays for motorists exiting the ferry earlier today due to the marathon," she said.
"Police facilitated motorists by stopping marathon participants at intervals to allow traffic to filter through."
A spokesman for Belfast City Council, who organised the event, said the incident occurred around three hours into the race and none of the athletes were affected.
He said no runners were stopped, but instead were advised to slow down and observe the rules of the road.
He described this as "standard procedure" so far into the race when public roads are re-opened while the last of the runners finish the marathon.
"If runners were stopped it was no more than a few seconds and primarily for the safety of the runners," he said, adding it wouldn't have had a significant affect on anybody's time.
l Were you, or do you know anyone who was stopped during the marathon yesterday? If so, contact the News Letter on 028 3839 5577
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Monday 28 May 2012
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