Champion Effort

“As soon as we put the press release out we were getting calls from all over the world,” Nova’s communications director David Hart tells Access. “It surpassed even our expectations.” The 22 year old Jamaican’s fame has transcended sporting parameters since his apparently nonchalant victories in Beijing, and news of his car accident outside Kingston at the end of April ratcheted up the drama tenfold.

Escaping with just minor injuries to his feet, ironically caused after leaving the wreckage of his BMW, it was nonetheless a worrying time for many as he was assessed by doctors before being cleared to return to training.

“I’d been out in Kingston a couple of weeks earlier doing media stuff with him and he’s such a lovely guy, it was horrible news to hear,” Hart says. “We were delighted when he was declared fit, he was really looking forward to coming to Manchester, he’s a United fan after all!”

Maximising potential

Nova tested the sprint concept on the quayside in Gateshead before the Great North Run last October, to overwhelmingly positive response.

“It was all about taking athletics out of the stadium and onto the street, closer to the audience, and the spectators loved it,” Hart continues. “Obviously one of the objectives here is to add to the reputation of the Great Manchester Run, but we’re always looking for ways that we can improve on and add excitement to our events, for the participants and everyone else involved. Nothing should stand still; our first meeting after every event is always about how we can make it better.”

The 10k race and the sprint were managed by independent teams from Nova, the last of the distance runners well clear of the course before attention turned to the 150m in Deansgate.

Sussex-based Event Floor was brought in to deliver a level surface for the track, its event decking system accurate to within 2mm over a hundred metres, fine tuned further by retro-fit adjustment. The athletes stepped up to the blocks on a start line elevated 1.1m from ground level to counteract the natural gradient.

“Nova approached us having seen the product elsewhere, and said they needed to put 225m of level surface into Manchester city centre and they needed to be able to do it very quickly, like overnight,” Event Floor director Rob Page tells Access. “The alternative would have been scaffold, and they’d have needed a week to do that. Our decking went in within 24 hours and was derigged in 12 and we’re delighted to have been able to play such an important role in such a prestigious event. Word is spreading about just how many applications this system can be used for and with 2012 in the offing we hope to be able to provide similar facilities at more athletic promotions in the years to come.”

The investment and effort that has gone into getting it right in Manchester, and the subsequent response, is sure to see similar races in more destinations.

“It’s all about taking athletics out of the stadium and onto the street.”

David Hart, Nova International

“The aim would be to take the Great City Games concept around the world,” Hart nods. “We don’t intend this to be a one off. It’s very easy to picture it in the likes of Tokyo, New York, Melbourne, but how we go about that needs to be worked out. We do have teams on the ground in a number of countries already, but we can’t be everywhere, and if it’s got Great and Run in the title we need to make sure it meets all of our organisational standards.”