Case Study: Great Run Company
The organisers of the Great North Run and Great Scottish Run events rely on Crowdguard to keep their events safe
Securing large-scale, annual events, such as the Great Run events is a monumental task that takes a great deal of planning, expertise, and collaboration.
Earlier this year, we worked with the Great Run Company to help secure two of their flagship events – the Great Scottish Run, and the Great North Run.
Great Scottish Run
With a city centre start and finish, the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run is a celebration of everything that is great about Glasgow: inspiring urban architecture, green spaces, history, music, strength, spirit and, of course, great people, personality and humour. Thousands take part in the half marathon or 10k running event each year to challenge themselves and to raise money for good causes.
Comprising of a 10k run around Glasgow City Centre, starting at 8:30am, and a Half Marathon starting at 10am. With runners as young as 15 taking part, the Great Scottish Run attracts thousands of entrants and spectators, winding their way through the normally traffic-heavy city centre.
Highway Care’s RB50 was the ideal solution to offer protection against a potential VAW attack
We conducted a thorough Risk Assessment that included a Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, alongside a counter-terrorism HVM design and specification for all the key stake holders, to review the event spaces and assess the risks to spectators and support staff, from a potential Vehicle-as-a-Weapon (VAW) attack.
We then provided the most appropriate temporary HVM measures to offer the greatest levels of protection, whilst being mindful of the need to ensure the functionality of the event, as well as minimising the levels of disruption to everyday Glaswegian life.
The night before the races started, we deployed 55 Husson H-Stop HVM units, spanning over 130 metres, and 5 Highway Care RB50 stillages, spanning over 30 metres at key intersections and junctions around the marathon routes, to protect all participants.
The decision to select the H-Stop and RB50 was based on proportionality of the assessed threat of a vehicular incursion, the budgetary constraints that the events have, and ease of deployment/ removal in order to be able to isolate the marathon routes from vehicles at the start of the day, as well as being able to return the city centre to normality, once the last runners had crossed the finish line.
We deployed over 130 metres of Husson H-Stop temporary HVM for the Great Scottish Run.
Great North Run
The AJ Bell Great North Run is the world’s biggest and best half marathon, with 60,000 runners taking on the route from Newcastle to South Shields each year. It’s famous for its inclusive atmosphere, unbeatable route-side entertainment and warm Geordie welcome, not to mention the millions of pounds raised each year for worthy causes. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.
The 2024 Great North Run took place on 8th September and was started by Olympic Silver Medallist Kieran Reilly, but our preparations for this year’s marathon started well before then. Working closely with all the key stakeholders, we devised a proportionate, cost effective temporary HVM scheme. We trained Great North Run staff and G4S staff on the operation of the H-Stop, which were staffed at all times, to allow authorised and emergency vehicles access as and when required.
H-Stops were deployed at key road junctions around Newcastle to help keep the roads closed to vehicles during the race
We recommended and deployed Husson H-Stop for this event, as the need to re-open key access routes into/ out of Newcastle City Centre was a vital consideration in our planning. We also had to take into account that multiple vehicles including TV crews, emergency services, event staff, and a fleet of buses carrying participants’ belongings are authorised to travel between Newcastle and South Shields on the closed course roads ahead of and following the participants.
An important aspect of this is ensuring that operators are thoroughly trained to identify who is authorised to access the restricted areas. Clear and well-defined processes must be in place to avoid confusion and ensure only permitted vehicles are granted access. This not only maintains the integrity of the closed course, but also ensures smooth operations throughout the event.
Planning and implementing the most appropriate HVM solution for large-scale events, including the risk assessments, staff training, deployment and removal of kit from busy city centres takes a great deal of planning, so that we can offer Protection in Partnership at the highest levels.
After all, protecting crowded places is a marathon, not a sprint!
If you’re planning an event (small or large-scale), get in touch with the Crowdguard team to discuss your requirements. We will give you the best possible advice and provide a turnkey service to help you plan and implement strategies to keep people safe in crowded places, with market-leading solutions installed by experts, designed to help you mitigate risk.
Tel: 0161 507 3434
Email: info@crowdguard.co.uk
