Liverpool Marathon 2013

What's particularly reprehensible is the lack of explanation. No dialogue or discussion and yet Mayor Anderson gives the impression that LCC will be making a concerted effort to ensure the race is retained. KEEP POLITICS OUT OF SPORT.

Or at least be open and honest about the reasons for cancellation.

Personally I don't shop at Liverpool ONE so can't really say I'd boycott the place - not that that would any impact mind!

Chester's gain this year I think. Polticians change so hopefully so will attitudes in time. Don't give up or let them grind you down.

They don't change in Liverpool as far as I can see...

I shall leave you to be the judge of who has been truthful on this matter. I can live with the event being cancelled. We just move on and create another event. What's difficult to accept is the manipulation that goes with it.

Not once has it been formally explained why LCC won't allow this event to go ahead.

Message for the Mayor. Just in case one of his fat arsed minions is reading.....

Losers all round as it stands. Buisiness', charities, LCC's reputation, BTR and runners too. If the council has not come back by now, looks like they will not and are settling for their statement  'organiser cancelled not us and we will look for a different organiser' which some will believe and some will not. Whether thay can get someone else in for this year is unlikely as runners will have committed elsewhere before anything can be set up.

Not good to leave it standing as it is. While other BTR races are safe for now, if the council have right of veto over road closures and the half and the santa dash do close roads, will they be safe in the future ? The council will not have liked the bad press over this and with politicians and councils you can never assume.

I would be tempted to now try for a meeting directly with Joe Anderson to try and resolve because it will be his decision. Attempt to find out the specific objections. Go with your plan B but also have a plan C in reserve. If it is to be on again, it will end up as a route that no one is going to be over the moon about but both side can live with at a push because there are no winners there at the moment

This of course may well go nowhere but maybe worth one last shot ?

Shoppers 1 Runners 0 . Why do they have to have shops open on a Sunday ?

Hope Liverpool's loss is Wirral's gain . Things are much nicer on this side of the water anyway

DH4 - where was the comment about another organiser? I'm not aware of that. If this were to be the case I wouldn't be surprised as it is what happened with the Triathlon.

LCC have advised they are not interested in any alternative. The use of the waterfront is not for discussion as far as they are concerned.

Terrible, but unsurprising news. LCC appear to have been against a marathon since before the start. It seems they have gotten their way.

I thought I had read it in the original echo article but looking back, it was actually in the 'comments' from someone who was coming across as 'probable council person' rather than 'man in the street'. 

Mind you if you have had approaches from big marathon companies, it would be a good bet that the council would have had them too.

Might have been interesting to see what would have happened with a proposal to come in along the same water front route as the half as there could have been no logical reason for them to knock that back as there would be less runners in the marathon than in the half.

Back in the day there used to be a Wirral marathon althought it did not run for long. It used to start and finish in Parkgate but did not get really big numbers.

Liverpool – a vibrant, historical, regional city of growth, prosperity and diversity.

• Guide the City into the next century. (!!!!!!!!)
• Provide purposeful and visionary leadership whilst being consultative, responsive and accessible.
• Decide on resources required for sustainable growth and community expectations for the future of Liverpool.
• Protect the City’s reputation and align it with the perceptions of its residents.

Taken from the Council's website. How many have they passed on ?

As Liver Bird said...

While the existing course is great, perhaps it's time to fight the battles you CAN win rather than beat your head against the Town Hall indefinitely......Seems that LCC are OK for waterfront closures at the start but not the finish. That isn't the end of the world if the event is well supported and has a great atmosphere. Example:- Edinburgh has added 20,000 entrants in 10 years, comes with great feedback and yet only starts in the city centre, finishing in Musselburgh. Closer to home, nobody thinks twice about finishing the tunnel 10k in New Brighton, so perhaps it could be time to take a step back from the brink and say that having a compromise route is better than no route at all ? Finish in Sevvy Park, or even on the Wirral (I agree, it is nice overe there Kevin). Don't get me wrong, the current course is great and I know how long it has taken to get the marathon restarted but perhaps it's better to develop a plan B and work from the inside to change things as the event grows.

It is a great pity that this course has gone - for many of us running a marathon was a great acheivement and it is not just the 26.2 miles that count but where they are that got us up off the couch hitting the streets and raising hundreds of pounds for charity.

I managed to complete the 2011 event and felt that the course had everything - most importantly plenty of variety (except Sefft park which was fixed in 2012) as well as the iconic sights and sounds of my home city. It rather looks like the complaints of retailers has not only stopped the 2013 full marathon but probably will prevent anyone from organising any Liverpool-centrerd event in the future.

I will be running in the half-marathon in march and just hope that BTR events can carry on despite this huge knock-back!

Mike - we have a number of new events to consider that don't rely on Liverpool so we have plenty to focus on over the next 12 months. As much I would like a marathon in the city it is not the end of the world if we are not allowed to have one.

Cidermonkey - the suggestion of ending somewhere other than the Pier Head is crucial. It is not as simple as just ending in Wirral, or anywhere else for that matter. A complete change of event structure requires local authority approval wherever it goes and we just won't get that.

There is nothing wrong with the course I have designed other than the use of 400 yards of waterfront road which could be circumvented by using the river side of Strand only. That would leave the south bound access to Liverpool ONE unimpeded. Even that wasn't good enough I'm afraid so I think there is more than this than meets the eye. Watch out for a major corporate being wheeled in.

We have been pushed out for a reason. Same thing has happened to the Triathlon.

Time will tell, but I have a very sad feeling you are right.......

how about start in the city centre and finish in one of the football grounds,im sure bill kenwright would open up goodison if theres a few pennies to be made.