When I started this running thingummy and entered my first few races, I was pretty non-plussed by all this keep left malarky!

Bloody dangerous I thought, after all I’d been taught by the best that the Boy Scouts had to offer and you always walked in a live carriageway facing the oncoming traffic.

So, tonight’s eight mile race saw me marshalling in Long Riston at the right hand turn towards the underpass, you may have heard me before you saw me, especially if you were one of the many runners drifting over to the centre of the road AND BEYOND! (You know who you are! (and most of you know better. ☺))

Have you noticed how few right hand turns there are in a race? That’s because courses are designed to be run counter clockwise to minimise dangerous right hand turns!

So why do we keep left?

• because the course is designed that way
• because of the warning signs for other road users, they expect us on that side
• because if we keep to the left traffic can pass runners safely in both directions
• but most of all……..because Pete Dearing says we have to!

So please, please, please, run on the left, as far to the left as you can, and stay there.

Keep alert for other road users and warn other runners if you need to.

If there is a right turn in the course, do it properly, keep to the left all the way to the junction, turn right and pass behind the marshall.

Never cut the corner till you are certain that you will not meet an oncoming vehicle.

I finally realised that the keep left message had sunk home at the recent Withernsea five miler.  Running out of the town along the coast road I saw a large group of runners ahead cross over and run on the right……….”keep left I bellowed”, I then had a thought, I know it’s a Sunday, I know we’re at Withernsea, but where’s the traffic……..silly old sod, it was a closed road. The only time you should be running on the right, in the UK at least!

So people, keep left, stay safe, and happy running!

Mike M