Switching the Orange Running Festival from Bloomfield Hospital to Gosling Creek Reserve has proved a winner for organisers - but not everyone got the message.
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Event co-ordinator Michael O'Mara said several people from out of town turned up at the old site on Sunday morning.
"Unfortunately a lot of people from Bathurst and Dubbo remembered when they came here last year and went to the hospital," he said.
"I had phone calls from people at the hospital who said 'where is the start, I can't see anybody here'."
"I had three phone calls half an hour before the start of the 10 kilometre [event]."
He said there had been positive feedback about the change.
"The new venue has been magnificent," he said.
Mr O'Mara said more of the courses were off-road in the Gosling Creek area than was available at Bloomfield which had reduced demands on volunteers.
"We saved something like three drink stations, it has saved me administratively five regulation approvals. It has saved four sectors of marshals in terms of the course," he said.
Orange accommodation was booked out last night and people were getting last minute bookings out at Millthorpe.
- Michael O'Mara, Orange Running Festival event co-ordinator
Mr O'Mara said the start area on Bloomfield Road was an improvement over the previous course.
And he said the event had also provided a boost to the economy.
"It has been very good for Orange tourism," he said.
"Orange accommodation was booked out last night and people were getting last minute bookings out at Millthorpe.
"Quite a few people are staying overnight on Sunday night to have a social event after running the marathon and half-marathon.
"It [will be] quite surprisingly busy tonight."
Mr O'Mara said 30 per cent of the 1790 entries (537 people) were from out of town.
He said the half-marathon was booked out and several people who tried to enter had to run in the 10 kilometre event.
Mr O'Mara said he expected there would be more entries next year with the success of the new venue.
"Our goal for next year in 2021, is to have 2021 runners," he said.
Mr O'Mara said they were also working to improve parking for the event.
He said people had been directed to enter via Huntley Road but a lot of people still went to the Forest Road end of the precinct.
Mr O'Mara said officials had to turn a lot of people away at that end as it was part of the course.
Race winners included Scottish runner Joasia Zakrzewski who won the women's marathon by 16 minutes.
She said she had only arrived in Australia the day before the run.
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