BMW Motorrad ‘Runs to the Beat’

The wet weather and the London transport system played havoc but couldn't stop thousands of runners hitting the streets for London’s first ever half-marathon event on 5 October. In the thick of the action were a number of BMW motorcycles, helping to film the action for television, monitor proceedings, control traffic and security, and protect the 10,000 runners who took part at the event, which started and finished at The O2 – London’s premier music venue.

Staging any kind of inner-city sporting event is a massive logistical exercise that requires months of planning, a highly organised event team, support of the local residents and the participation of thousands of competitors to make it a success. The Sony Ericsson Run to the Beat 2008 event was more than just an ordinary half-marathon though, as it was designed to provide an exciting and interactive challenge for fitness enthusiasts by combining music and sport.

The aims of the event were varied. Firstly, the organisers wanted to encourage all runners to think about the music they listen to while running. Secondly, they also wanted to use the power of music to encourage more people to consider running as a choice of sport. Therefore, 17 music stages were constructed at strategic points around the course and the bands selected to play live music at the right tempo in order to inspire runners to improve their performance. Research has shown that selecting the right music to listen to can improve individual performance by an amazing 20 per cent.

In charge of providing route and safety management for the thousands of competitors that entered this 13.1-mile half marathon in the nation’s capital was Bob Bartlett of Trafeco – the country’s leading event route and safety consultancy. Bob is a former senior traffic police officer who specialises in route management and safety and is a key member of the national sports motorcycle escort group. Bob has vast experience in the organisation and control of major events from his career in the police service and is now engaged as a sports consultant and organiser, working on many triathlons, marathons and cycle races.

For this particular event, Bob’s team were provided with a fleet of BMW machines that included the F 650 GS, F 800 GS, F 800 ST, R 1200 R, R 1200 GS, R 1200 RT, K 1200 GT, and K 1200 S. However, because of the enormity of the logistical operation, Bob’s work started several months ago in consultations with the local authority, traffic management companies and of course, the police.

“When the IMG (a company that organises mass participation sports) had an idea of the route for this half marathon, I did a risk assessment on the proposed course, which takes into account alternative routes for local residents on the day, traffic management issues, signage and barrier lines. As all the roads are totally closed to traffic for the duration of the race, making sure that competitors are safe and local residents aren’t inconvenienced is of paramount importance.”

In order for things to run smoothly, the organisers have to make sure that local residents and businesses know about the event, via the newspapers, local radio, door-to-door leaflets, the local council website, traffic radio bulletins, posters and various other signage in the vicinity. A traffic management company then has to implement a plan to actually get the routes closed off safely – no mean feat in a capital city that never sleeps. This takes place during the night and then the final course check is down to Bob, who verifies the safety of the route by riding around the entire course one last time.

“Once the 13 miles of roads are closed, I ride out to do the course check. You have to be careful because the speed cameras are still operating and we don’t have any dispensation for this event! I check that the foot marshals are looking after each junction and then I’ll escort the ambulances around. I’ll have ridden the course several times by now of course, and will have also taken my team of riders out on the route. Once I am satisfied with the course and the security, I give the ‘thumbs up’ for the race to start.”

Bob’s own motorcycle is a BMW K 1100 RS, which he believes is perfect for this kind of role, as it has lots of low-down torque and a very flexible engine. With a cycle race, for example, the speeds average around 20-45 mph and sometimes it’s important to be able to accelerate quickly and not get in the way of the riders, who change speed according to the gradient and course layout. For a long-distance running event, such as the Sony Ericsson Run to the Beat, the average speed of the elite runners was around 10-15 mph, which meant that Bob and his team of hand-picked expert riders – many of whom are advanced traffic police officers – were ‘plodding along’ in second gear for the seventy minutes that it took the top runners to complete the race distance.

For this particular event, Bob rode the BMW R 1200 GS, which he found to be a very stable and well-balanced platform to work from, as well as giving him a good deal of protection from the weather. His main role was to protect the front end of the race and to lead the elite runners around the course, making sure that no one interfered with the camera bikes or the competitors.

“I always lead the event out,” he says. “Usually we’re accompanied by a car with a big clock that gives the time out to the competitors. However, there are some parts of the route that the car can’t get to, but this is no problem for me on two wheels! If there are any issues, such as cars or people that shouldn’t be on the route, I can communicate to all the other riders and to race control via my radio.”

This particular route was divided into six sectors, with riders responsible for each sector, and as the race passed through each sector, these riders joined in to escort the runners. They are the eyes and ears of the race and can call for help if needed. One of Bob’s team always remains at the back of the race and is able to organise the reopening of the routes after the last runners have passed through.

Despite atrocious weather hitting the capital last Sunday, thousands of spectators lined the streets of London to cheer on the runners, many of whom were raising funds for charity. The bands continued to bash out the tunes despite the rain and a lot of the finishers said that the music had a huge motivational effect on them. Thanks to the careful planning that comes from years of experience, the logistical operation went smoothly for Bob and his team of BMW riders, who didn’t suffer anything more serious than a few misting visors.