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The dude they quote in this article is an asshole, also an ex Mayor. He's been running to all of the TV stations and papers up here. I've been interviewed twice today. Wanna guess who the 'train supervisor' was?
Moreno puts self (and car) on the line for QC Marathon
By Marc Nesseler, [email protected]
Quad Cities Marathon race director Joe Moreno wasn't about to let his race get sidetracked by a train.
Not even if it meant sitting inside a locked Zimmerman pace truck parked across tracks that intersected the 26.2-mile course at 7th Street in East Moline, just before mile 22.
"For a minute, I was nervous," Mr. Moreno said of the oncoming train. "Then I saw it stop. I was hoping they'd stop."
He also wasn't about to yield in the wake of police officers informing him of a possible arrest.
"The police never arrested me, but there was an ultimatum," the former East Moline mayor said. "They said to move it, or they'd tow it. And then the handcuffs would have been next.
"In a roundabout way, there's an ex-mayor syndrome; they treated me with respect. They're my friends, but they have a job to do.
"I don't have a problem with the engineers. I don't have a problem with the police. I have a problem with the train supervisor. For nine months, we've worked on making them aware of this."
Not one, but two trains interrupted marathon running, with the second bringing runners to a stop first at 7th Street and then at 1st Street. The first, an eastbound train, prohibited 14 runners at 7th Street from continuing for six minutes. The second, a westbound, stopped 12 runners at 7th and seven at 1st.
"This has major impact," Mr. Moreno said of the train delays. "It has a ripple effect. It gives negative vibes to the running community. They'd say, `Don't do that race; it's the one with the trains.'
"In fact, one of the 12 stopped also was one of those affected six years ago (when a train crossed the marathon path in 1999). Those kinds of runners can become negative ambassadors of this race. They gave us another chance.
"They may think we didn't do our homework, and we DID do our homework."
Mr. Moreno and the marathon committee has to jump through several hoops to pull of this race, getting agreements that allow runners on the I-74 Bridge, the Centennial Bridge and Arsenal Island, as well as running through the streets of the five metro communities.
"This isn't a communication problem," Mr. Moreno said of the dealings with the railway. "It's a trust problem."
Mr. Moreno said the Iowa Interstate Railroad reportedly sent an e-mail three or four days ago alerting the QC Marathon that "its schedule dictates what it needs to do."
And when the first train stopped action, the railroad supervisor on site, as Moreno sat locked in his car, said "it's possible that in an hour or so there would be a westbound train."
"So," he added, "I waited an hour, and, sure enough, it was here.
"Six years ago, I said that I'd lie down on the railroad tracks if I had to if it happened again. This is just ridiculous."
The race director said the QC Marathon can't afford to have another train issue, and, thus, will be forced to alter its course.
"Unfortunately for East Moline, we're going to have to make changes," he said. "We're going to have to stay on that side (the north side) of the tracks, and that means not including downtown East Moline."
Instead, the committee will look into extending the marathon on the bike path in Bettendorf to compensate for the loss of miles in East Moline.
Mr. Moreno's stalling tactics on the tracks didn't go unnoticed. There were several hundred runners who were able to cross the tracks as the train was unable to advance. "I got a lot of thank yous and high fives," Mr. Moreno said.
And, at the finish line, it came over loud and clear on the walkie talkies there: "The train is stopped. Joe is the hero."
Mr. Moreno says he hopes there will be no hard feelings toward the QC Marathon from the runners. However, he says he won't be able to untrack one grudge.
"We sent the train supervisor (marathon) T-shirts," he said. "I hope we get them back."
And no, i didn't get one of his fucking T shirts.
Moreno puts self (and car) on the line for QC Marathon
By Marc Nesseler, [email protected]
Quad Cities Marathon race director Joe Moreno wasn't about to let his race get sidetracked by a train.
Not even if it meant sitting inside a locked Zimmerman pace truck parked across tracks that intersected the 26.2-mile course at 7th Street in East Moline, just before mile 22.
"For a minute, I was nervous," Mr. Moreno said of the oncoming train. "Then I saw it stop. I was hoping they'd stop."
He also wasn't about to yield in the wake of police officers informing him of a possible arrest.
"The police never arrested me, but there was an ultimatum," the former East Moline mayor said. "They said to move it, or they'd tow it. And then the handcuffs would have been next.
"In a roundabout way, there's an ex-mayor syndrome; they treated me with respect. They're my friends, but they have a job to do.
"I don't have a problem with the engineers. I don't have a problem with the police. I have a problem with the train supervisor. For nine months, we've worked on making them aware of this."
Not one, but two trains interrupted marathon running, with the second bringing runners to a stop first at 7th Street and then at 1st Street. The first, an eastbound train, prohibited 14 runners at 7th Street from continuing for six minutes. The second, a westbound, stopped 12 runners at 7th and seven at 1st.
"This has major impact," Mr. Moreno said of the train delays. "It has a ripple effect. It gives negative vibes to the running community. They'd say, `Don't do that race; it's the one with the trains.'
"In fact, one of the 12 stopped also was one of those affected six years ago (when a train crossed the marathon path in 1999). Those kinds of runners can become negative ambassadors of this race. They gave us another chance.
"They may think we didn't do our homework, and we DID do our homework."
Mr. Moreno and the marathon committee has to jump through several hoops to pull of this race, getting agreements that allow runners on the I-74 Bridge, the Centennial Bridge and Arsenal Island, as well as running through the streets of the five metro communities.
"This isn't a communication problem," Mr. Moreno said of the dealings with the railway. "It's a trust problem."
Mr. Moreno said the Iowa Interstate Railroad reportedly sent an e-mail three or four days ago alerting the QC Marathon that "its schedule dictates what it needs to do."
And when the first train stopped action, the railroad supervisor on site, as Moreno sat locked in his car, said "it's possible that in an hour or so there would be a westbound train."
"So," he added, "I waited an hour, and, sure enough, it was here.
"Six years ago, I said that I'd lie down on the railroad tracks if I had to if it happened again. This is just ridiculous."
The race director said the QC Marathon can't afford to have another train issue, and, thus, will be forced to alter its course.
"Unfortunately for East Moline, we're going to have to make changes," he said. "We're going to have to stay on that side (the north side) of the tracks, and that means not including downtown East Moline."
Instead, the committee will look into extending the marathon on the bike path in Bettendorf to compensate for the loss of miles in East Moline.
Mr. Moreno's stalling tactics on the tracks didn't go unnoticed. There were several hundred runners who were able to cross the tracks as the train was unable to advance. "I got a lot of thank yous and high fives," Mr. Moreno said.
And, at the finish line, it came over loud and clear on the walkie talkies there: "The train is stopped. Joe is the hero."
Mr. Moreno says he hopes there will be no hard feelings toward the QC Marathon from the runners. However, he says he won't be able to untrack one grudge.
"We sent the train supervisor (marathon) T-shirts," he said. "I hope we get them back."
And no, i didn't get one of his fucking T shirts.
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