With less than 4 weeks notice, ATZ were asked to pull together a team to help co-ordinate the movement of more than 50,000 runner bags, in 36 articulated lorries, from Greenwich and Blackheath (London Marathon Start) to The Mall (London Marathon Finish).
The challenge was to escort these vehicles so that they arrived in plenty of time to park up on The Mall, arrive in a specific order and unload in time for the fastest 2 hour runners to not have any delay in collecting their warm clothes and belongings at the finish line. The additional challenge was that in previous years the convoy had a Police escort and was able to proceed through red lights. However, this year police support was withdrawn and ATZ were asked to assist London Marathon Events to develop an escort plan.
On the morning of the event, prior to departure of the convoy, the ATZ team conducted a full route recce to ensure there were no issues with the route that would delay the convoy or require a deviation from the planned route. Additionally, as many major sporting events across the summer had been targeted and disrupted by Just Stop Oil protesters, the ATZ Team were extra vigilant.
Due to issues with the radio network at the start venue a pre departure briefing took place to ensure all team members knew what to do if communications issues didn’t improve or resolve once the convoys left the venue. All vehicles arrived on The Mall on schedule and lined up in the correct order, even if one truck driver decided to take an impromptu diversion, which required a moto escort to get them back on correct route. Despite the many logistical challenges and a very long working day, the team were delighted with how the job went.
After the success of the escort operation, ATZ and London Marathon Events quickly discussed how their upcoming event Ride London could benefit from the use of the ATZ moto team supporting the many sectors around the 100 mile route, to deal with participant safety, local access and emergency access. A team of 34 motos was quickly recruited and deployed a few weeks later to successfully support the route safety and stewarding teams. Additionally, ATZ were also asked to support the Black Unity Bike Ride.
