Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Oleander] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Actually, if I was a terrorist and wanted to sow mass terror, I'd probably go after the non-special events on non-special days. There are far more non-special events and non-special days in a year than special ones (that's the definition of special), and by making people terrified at non-special events on non-special days in non-special places, I'd be more likely to paralyze my hated enemies with fear full-time. They'd end up spending 20% of their GDP and tons of time on security, just to prevent 200 injuries and a couple deaths in a year. Imagine if that bombing had happened at a 1000-person HM in some no-name midwest town. Every single athletic event in the country would feel much more vulnerable.

And to put all this in perspective, it should be mandatory in all news coverage of terrorist events to include the addendum: "meanwhile, 32000 americans die in car accidents every year". Terrorism is tragic, but it's small potatoes compared to other preventable ways people die. I can't find the numbers right now, but there's also the thousands of people that die from accidental discharge of firearms every year too. Hell, I'll bet the 3 dead will pale compared to how many people will die in the swim of triathlons this summer alone, let alone deaths during marathons or training.
Last edited by: AHare: Apr 23, 13 10:16
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Medieval Times] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Medieval Times wrote:
Grant.Reuter wrote:
Medieval Times wrote:
As an athlete I am not worried about my safety more about spectators. Check every bag if needed, do whatever you need to do.



So illegal searches just because you are standing on the side of a road to watch a race? Geez, I guess the terrorists have won.


This isn't about terrorists winning or losing. This is about protecting peoples safety. Make sense?!

Really... explain how you are going to search every bag of every person and every spectator on a race course that miles long. Once you are done with that explain how it is not just playing wackamole because someone could just walk up and suicide bomb the race, or could make a car bomb or heck a bike bomb. You aren't protecting anyone all you're doing is giving people a false sense of security, and yes you're letting a group of people who want us dead dictate our lives. How do you find that okay?

Further more this "protecting peoples safety" is a giant joke of a talking point. More people die a day from drunk drivin, than if a boston attack happened every day, why don't we just ban alcohol or require breathalizers in every car? Or ban smoking since second hand smoke kills even more people than that. But yes we should be "protecting people safety" by doing a bunch of stuff that doesn't protect anyones safety at a race and just makes us look silly.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [cervelorider] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Well, not really as far as the MCM is concerned. The MCM expo was held at the Armory of the United States of America. At any military installations, you would have to do the same. The building I work in has been like that, even before 9/11. Try walking through the Pentagon and see how many layers of security you have to walk through :) ... even before 9/11.

Try being a civilian who wants to go to the bathroom by himself while inside the Pentagon :)

cervelorider wrote:
Last year at the Marine Corps marathon in Washington DC everyone had to go through metal detectors to get into the expo and uniformed Marines frisked runners as they walked to the starting line before the event. In Boston last week there were SWAT cops with M4s in my hotel lobby for days after the event. This is the new look of America and its not going away any time soon. Tim


__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [ian moone] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
ian moone wrote:
coredump wrote:
I'm doing a large, well-known tri this weekend.

Just received an email from the RD with new security precautions that we apparently have to follow. We apparently will be given two numbered clear plastic bags that we are supposed to use for all of our transition gear. All bags are numbered for each athlete, and we are specifically asked NOT to bring any other type of bags (ie backpacks/transition bags), and everything we do bring will be searched by the PD prior to allowing us to enter transition on race morning.

Am I alone in thinking this bit of "security theater" is a bit much of an overreaction to the events in Boston?


a little inconvenience is better than legs blown off and dead people, we will have dog sniffing bombs are our little tri, just because,

better be safe than sorry

Bomb sniffing dogs is actually something that could make a difference, though I still think you have an over abundance of caution.

Forcing athletes to use only clear bags in transition, and not allowing transition bags or backpacks does nothing to increase safety, it only increases inconvenience. The same way that banning a 9oz container of liquids from going through security, while allowing you to bring 3 x 3oz containers and an empty 9oz container through does absolutely nothing to improve security.

It's been pointed out what race I'm referring to, and there's 4-5,000 participants. Searching all of those bags (2x per athlete) is going to take a LOOOONG time. It already takes a long time to get into transition on race morning ( body marking, etc. ).

We can react hysterically in response to acts like this, or we can move on with our lives. Placing restrictions on ourselves, and moving more and more into a police state where everyone distrusts everyone else, is playing into exactly what terrorists want, which is for us to be "terrorized" in the course of our normal lives.

--
I ride Felt.
Quote Reply
Post deleted by Medieval Times [ In reply to ]
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Medieval Times] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply

Quote:

giving people especially spectators a "sense" of security
I think you mean giving people a false sense of security. What people are saying, and I agree, is efforts like the clear bag initiative have little or no benefit. It won't even add to spectators' sense of security unless they know about the clear bags. Having a more visible police presence may add to the sense of and possibly even the real level of security.

A logical extension of the reasoning would be to only allow clear plastic suitcases in airports, so people can feel secure that there isn't a bomb wrapped up in a layer of clothes.


Quote:

Not sure how having law enforcement searching a bag is really that big of a deal

A bag, it's not a big deal. Thousands of bags, it's a huge waste of time and resources.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Grant.Reuter] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
You can check all the bags, make them clear, you can run bomb sniffing dogs before the race, but no matter what you do it doesn't prevent someone who wants to set off a bomb from setting one off in an open area. You can't make an open field/open race course secure, well you can but I don't think anyone wants to pay the cost of that race. How many races happen a year, between all the running races all the tris and everything else. 20k+?? and this has been going on for how many years with not one incident? Out of all these races for all these years we've had one bombing, yet now for some reason people feel unsafe going to a race. I don't get it.

Grant,

This has been the discussion that has been going on behind the scenes at larger endurance sports events of all kinds in the past few weeks since the Boston tragedy. There are things that larger events could do and there are things they will do* (perhaps by force from local police, boards of directors, or their insurers). However, you are right that many of these events are wide open to the general public. I am sure some form of "lock down" security could be arranged at specific areas for races, but as you point out I am not sure of participants would be willing to pay that much extra for said event - in this business, it's participants that pay almost all of the freight.

*I noticed that at one of the larger running races locally in our area, a change in the procedure for them was that for the Bag-Check ( it was a point-to-point running race), that you could only check gear in, in a race supplied clear plastic bag. No sports bags, back-packs or personal bags could be checked.

Anyone notice any changes in events in their areas in the past few weeks?







Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
There was a massive police presence at a local half marathon in Rochester, NY this weekend. That was the only difference I noticed.

_____________________________________________________
Instagram | Team Kiwami North America
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [coredump] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
At least the security procedures don't impact the actual race like some of the water "safety" mesures will. Just say no to time trial starts.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Fleck wrote:
*I noticed that at one of the larger running races locally in our area, a change in the procedure for them was that for the Bag-Check ( it was a point-to-point running race), that you could only check gear in, in a race supplied clear plastic bag. No sports bags, back-packs or personal bags could be checked.

Anyone notice any changes in events in their areas in the past few weeks?

Interesting. I'm running the Toronto Goodlife this weekend, which is also point to point, and all they are saying is to be vigilant if we see funny stuff when dropping off our bags. I think I prefer that attitude.

Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I was watching Drake Relays last weekend and ran the half marathon on Sunday. There was a lot of volunteer PD there from what my gf said she heard, and a bomb squad unit. I don't know if the bomb squad was normal but it wouldn't surprise me for how big that event is. There was a purse check for women and my gf was pissed that students couldn't bring their backpacks in which is really dumb considering the event is on campus. But besides that nothing out of the ordinary from any other sporting event I have been to.

Same thing for the half marathon, they had a bag drop off in blue relay bags but you basically just walked right into your starting corral and went off. Everything seemed completely normal to me.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes I ran a 4 mile race in central park put on by NYRR. Only can check the clear plastic bag they give you.
I repeat this is in central park
spectators and the rest of the park where we run no such clear bag rule - would not have made a hoot of difference in boston if racers had clear plastic bags to check.

the ONLY positive change I saw was that NYPD had an eyes in the sky unit at the finish area
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [Grant.Reuter] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
At our Heroes Half last weekend in Everett Washington we had the bomb squad and dogs. Worked out great just to have the dogs quietly moving around a fairly controlled area, and 4 uniformed officers.
Quote Reply
Re: Race Security Overreaction? [coredump] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Here is an article on the security done for Kemah this weekend. Although the article isn't particularly informative I thought it was interesting how it was viewed as a success:

http://www.texsar.org/...013-kemah-triathlon/

Quote:
TEXSAR’s Incident Management Team and Search and Rescue Team – together with Galveston County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Kemah Police Department and a number of other agencies – successfully provided security for the 2013 Kemah Triathlon. In light of the recent tragedy at the Boston Marathon, Galveston County put a spotlight on public security, and TEXSAR used the opportunity to shine.
“This event was an example of the awesome relationship between TEXSAR and the County of Galveston. TEXSAR did a great job. Words can’t describe how pleased I am,” said David Popoff, Emergency Management Coordinator for the Galveston County OEM.

Days before the triathlon, the Galveston County OEM called up TEXSAR. TEXSAR quickly responded, ready to deploy 11 members. The joint Galveston County-TEXSAR IMT was tasked with providing for the safety of all participants and the public at all times; searching and securing the designated area; and managing a coordinated interagency response effort that reflects the makeup of Unified Command. The objectives were completed, and the triathlon proceeded without any major incidents.

The triathlon was a very positive experience for Galveston County, TEXSAR and all other agencies to integrate their resources. More than 150 people participated in providing safety for the event, including over 60 law enforcement officers and 50 volunteers.

Participating agencies in the 2013 Kemah Triathlon Operation included: The Galveston County Office of Emergency Agency, The City of Kemah, Kemah Police Department, Kemah Volunteer Fire Department, Clear Lakes Emergency Medical Services, Texas City Police Department, Galveston County Road and Bridge, Galveston County Parks Department, Galveston County CERT, Galveston County Amateur Radio Club, Alpha SAR, Montgomery County SAR, and TEXSAR.
Quote Reply

Prev Next