NY Marathon cancelled

[La]

My first thought when I heard this last night was the same as everyone else: right decision, wrong time. And then I saw scenes of the devastation on Staten Island I couldn't believe that they EVER thought they'd be able to (or even SHOULD) pull it off. Earlier in the week, most of the media attention had been on lower Manhattan and the Jersey shore. I hadn't seen any of that footage before yesterday.

This morning on CTV news channel they were saying that the decision to cancel was all about optics, specifically in light of the election on Tuesday (in 2005, for right or wrong, the devastation of Katrina was entirely blamed on GW Bush). The "straw" this week was people seeing the power generators for the sponsor's tent (not sure if they meant at Fort Wadsworth or in Central Park) that had the capacity to power 500 homes. So even though the race wasn't drawing on support that would have been used for relief efforts, it HAD resources that could have been used for that purpose (which I believe they are being now).

What I don't get is this comment that was quoted on Canadian Running's web site: “If people/runners now think it was the right decision, then why didn't THEY make that decision 3 days ago when they still had time to cancel/defer their flights and hotel accommodations,” Criss Ross DiGiovanni wrote on Facebook. “Honestly, so much band-wagon jumping going on here it’s ridiculous.”

Really? People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

[jonovision_man]

People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

jono

[ceileigh]

Yes. I was watching the reports of damage especially to SI and at one point, due to the non refundable-ness of my travel arrangement with the race on, was feeling as if I was being forced to do a race I no longer wanted to do. It was a mental game of a different kind. Earlier in the week NYRR said the race could go ahead as everything went on generators so power was not an issue. I wondered where the generators were, if they were being used to help pre-race, and where the gas to run them was ... The statement from the Mayor and NYRR that "While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of disagreement and division. We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event ..." almost sounds like they are blaming the runners who voiced concern and the FB campaign rather then accepting the facts that were being said (VN bridge access to SI closed, EMS support, etc.). I don't think it helped their position.

My brother posted on my FB page today that this week has been a race, just a different one then I expected, congrats on making it to the finish. I asked where my race medal was. I figure it should be a big one!

[erinmcd]

People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

jono

That's the way I look at it too. I agree that canceling is the right thing to do, but if I had been registered, and had a travel arrangements made, I would have gone. Might as well be there, pumping a few more $ into the economy, than stay home out of principle.

[dgrant]

People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

jono

With all due respect, nope. People are saying the cancellation is about "optics" as though that is a contrived thing. One person's "optics" is another's "basic human sensitivity". You don't have a jogging parade through a place where children were just this week swept to their deaths and hundreds of thousands of people still at this moment don't have power/heat/clean water/mobility to their jobs to pay bills.

To even discuss matters of recreational travel or jogging is a bit gauche in my mind.

[Robinandamelia]

That's the way I look at it too. I agree that canceling is the right thing to do, but if I had been registered, and had a travel arrangements made, I would have gone. Might as well be there, pumping a few more $ into the economy, than stay home out of principle.

Yeah I agree with this.....I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision, however I would have went. I think though, if they were going to cancel it, or there was even a remote possibility, they should have done it sooner.....

[jonovision_man]

People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

jono

With all due respect, nope. People are saying the cancellation is about "optics" as though that is a contrived thing. One person's "optics" is another's "basic human sensitivity". You don't have a jogging parade through a place where children were just this week swept to their deaths and hundreds of thousands of people still at this moment don't have power/heat/clean water/mobility to their jobs to pay bills.

To even discuss matters of recreational travel or jogging is a bit gauche in my mind.

The organizers are in new York... they are new yorkers. They should have been able to be trusted to make the right call on the ground on behalf of runners from other places with less information.

jono

[Dstew]

People went to NY because they likely had a lot of non-refundable travel arrangement. And none of us here had ANY idea how bad things were there, so if they are saying "the race is on," then you kind of have to accept it at face value.

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

jono

With all due respect, nope. People are saying the cancellation is about "optics" as though that is a contrived thing. One person's "optics" is another's "basic human sensitivity". You don't have a jogging parade through a place where children were just this week swept to their deaths and hundreds of thousands of people still at this moment don't have power/heat/clean water/mobility to their jobs to pay bills.

To even discuss matters of recreational travel or jogging is a bit gauche in my mind.

The organizers are in new York... they are new yorkers. They should have been able to be trusted to make the right call on the ground on behalf of runners from other places with less information.

jono

+ 1

From the early reports, the race was not going to go through any devastated areas, there were not going to be any resources taken away from the relief efforts and power for the entire island of Manhattan was to be on today. Were there areas in the surrounding area that were hit hard, no question but not running the race did not unburn homes, etc. Small businesses, etc that were shut down for a week or so needed the money from runners even more. So from a purely practical perspective, the race could only be a net positive benefit no matter how frivolous or silly such a race would be. Having said that, the mayor and race organizers seemed to have completely forgotten about Staten Island and that they were not getting water and other essentials. When they used the test balloon, they obviously missed all of the signs that instead of a rallying point, the marathon became a focus of people's anger and frustration. Marathons are always about optics and does the community see a value in the race. Boston, New York Chicago, Victoria all embrace their marathons as it goes beyond just dollars but is a point of civic pride. Calgary, it is an inconvenience, a novelty that is tolerated if run early enough in the morning.

Had I been entered and they would allow me to run, I would have moved heaven and earth to get there. Had they cancelled the race, I would have been disappointed but as any good guest, I would have respected the decision of the host. But I saw a video on Runner's world where some guy comes over from England, stands in line for hours at the expo, walks out with his bib and then is told the race is cancelled, wtf? As Jono noted, the mayor and organizers are on the ground, they have access to information and reports we would not have and facts that were there on Tuesday are the same facts as Friday. I think they thought they could manage the backlash and despite all of the signs of how big and intense it was and so the timing of the announcement was pure optics. And as optics matter, that is not being dismissive.

[HCcD]

Finally, received an email from NYRR this week on the race status ...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that the 2012 ING New York City Marathon has been canceled.

The decision was made after it became increasingly apparent that the people of our city and the surrounding tri-state area were still struggling to recover from the damage wrought by the recent extreme weather conditions. That struggle, fueled by the resulting extensive and growing media coverage antagonistic to the marathon and its participants, created conditions that raised concern for the safety of both those working to produce the event and its participants. While holding the race would not have required diverting resources from the recovery effort, it became clear that the apparent widespread perception to the contrary had become the source of controversy and division. Neither NYRR nor the City could allow a controversy over the marathon to result in a dangerous situation or to distract attention from all the critically important work that is being done to help New York City recover from the storm.

NYRR, in partnership with the Rudin Family and the ING Foundation, has established the "Race to Recover" Marathon Fund to aid New Yorkers impacted by the storm. Over $2.6 million has been raised, including a $1 million donation by NYRR. We are asking you to join us by making a $26.20 donation, or whatever you can afford, to help bring recovery and hope to those communities and families most affected. Proceeds will go to Hurricane Sandy Relief, administered by the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. You can also donate to the relief effort through NYRR's fundraising platform, CrowdRise, which includes the American Red Cross and other charities.

NYRR will redeploy the marathon resources and materials toward the recovery effort. We will share the details of this project as they are finalized in the days ahead.

We all recognize this has been a very challenging time in New York City that has impacted so many people, including you, our runners. Please know that this is one of the toughest decisions we have ever made, and that we deeply appreciate your support.

[ceileigh]

An update from my ITP

Hello,



I have just returned from a meeting with NYRR and about 150 ITPs (International Travel Partners) from across the world. It was a very sombre morning to say the least. The cancellation of the marathon is affecting so many people in a lot of ways that I didn't even imagine.

We met this morning to have an official update from the Marathon as there has been nothing since the announcement of the cancellation last night. The president of New York Road Runners Mary Wittenberg attended the meeting as well. Everyone is still in a lot of shock and disbelief. They explained a few things to us:

The primary reason for the cancellation of the marathon was for the runners safety. Due to the backlash of the city with the decision to go ahead with the marathon on Wednesday, they felt that there was a risk to people's safety during the run. It was not due to water, or power outages, but more so due to the fact that there are so many anti-marathoners right now with what devastation there is going on in the city. They weren't sure if protestors would be present, or if runners would have been booed or things thrown at them, etc. This was not something they were willing to find out.
The entry fees will not be refunded as they are 100% non refundable. They money has been spent on putting this together and organizing a marathon of this size.
All marathon supplies (water, apples, power bars, t-shirts, etc) have been donated to the Red Cross.
The Expo will remain open today for those of you that wish to pick up your packets.


The main focus of this morning was to get opinions from the ITPs about what would appease the International runners that have come here for this, and the consensus was to have the option of returning to NYC within a 5 year time frame to run again, with no charge for re-entry. This was strongly pushed for, and I believe NYRR will be pushing for this outcome as well.

Because of the widespread affect this has had on all organizations involved, they are not giving any solid answers on anything at this point. NYRR, the city of NYC and everyone involved in putting on this marathon is solely waiting to hear from their own insurance companies, lawyers and the powers that be to find out what options they will be able to offer us. The best time frame they could estimate to us was about a week before we will have any more information to pass on to you.

[oink]

Yep....didn't think a refund was possible, they have to recoup the money they spent on merchandise and all that. The least they can do is at least allow everyone that entered this year to pay half next year

There is this snippet from the NY Times

It is also unclear how the organization will rework its five-year television rights contract with ESPN and WABC, the local affiliate. A spokesman for ESPN, Chris LaPlaca, said the network had not had time to discuss it with Road Runners. One possibility is extending the contract a year, other network executives said.

Road Runners will also have to negotiate with sponsors like Asics, Nissan, Timex and United Airlines, which were swept into the marathon debate. ING, celebrating its 10th year as title sponsor of the marathon, said it fully supported the decision to cancel the race and donated $500,000 to relief efforts.

In a statement, the company said it “understands that many people, businesses, as well as its own New York-based employees have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.”

The larger problem for the city, though, is how to recoup the dollars that would have been spent by the runners, their families and their friends. On average, each participant spends $1,778 on hotels, transportation, food and beverage, entertainment and shopping, according to an independent survey, produced by Aecom last year.

About 40,000 of the 47,500 runners had arrived, though, and Wolfson, the deputy mayor, said he hoped they would still enjoy the city. Spending by marathon tourists generates an estimated $17.3 million in taxes, about two-thirds of which goes to the city.

[Double Bellybuster]

Absolutely... the organizers say the race is on, the course is fine, etc etc... you go!

My wife and I had a pretty good idea Tuesday morning that the organizers were interested only in revenue and cancelled our trip immediately, we saw what was on our TV screens. Tough decision though - but at that point our disgust significantly outweighed our ties to the race entry money already paid.

[HCcD]

Just posted on FB by Ryan Hall ....

Ryan Hall
ASICS is donating 100% of proceeds from today's sales of race apparel and accessories at the ING NYC Marathon expo to the American Red Cross

[HCcD]

Contenders Miss Out on Chance for Big Payday
By JERÉ LONGMAN
Published: November 3, 2012

Tens of thousands of weekend warriors will return to their day jobs, having lost only travel costs and entry fees with the cancellation of the New York City Marathon. But contenders missed a chance to earn what amounted to half a year’s salary.

....

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/sports/no-nyc-marathon-means-no-prize-money.html?smid=tw-share

[fingerboy]

http://newyorkcitymarathon.runnersworld ... celed.html

[Ken B]

Yep....didn't think a refund was possible, they have to recoup the money they spent on merchandise and all that. The least they can do is at least allow everyone that entered this year to pay half next year




Myrtle Beach cancelled their marathon a couple of years ago at 11 PM the evening before because of a forecast of snow ( It had melted by race time!!) There were several thousands of us from out of state or country. They allowed us 30 days to sign up for the next year with a 15% discount only. No other refunds were forthcoming.

That said, if I had been in New York already I would have either tried to volunteer to help in some way or at least vacated my room and had the hotel use it for the dislocated residents. ( We would have driven to New York so flights would not have been an issue. )

Altogether, for the participants, it has been a difficult situation! I agree that the polititians should have handled this much better.

[drghfx]

Don't forget, this is the US. I'm sure there are a number of class action suits being prepared already. I wonder how much of the NYRR donations to the Red Cross etc. is to make them look good for the upcoming court cases.

Sure, they spent a lot of money preparing for the race but surely they had race cancellation insurance to cover that in case there was a reason to cancel the race. It shouldn't be the runner's risk.

[ceileigh]

I hadn't thought of NYRR having cancellation insurance but yes, they must have something under event insurance for this.

Interesting that my ITP told us all our hotels were about the power outage and working without problems. I had tried to call to confirm our rooms and the phones never worked (never even got a ring). So I tried emailing. They did have a FB page and posted to someone that their phones were fine, just jammed. Today I got an email that they were open throughout however all phones, email, internet had been down until today. They were still swamped with hurricane Sandy victims and unable to answer emails (it was an auto response).

Yeah, still glad I opted not cancel and not go.

[ian]

Sure, they spent a lot of money preparing for the race but surely they had race cancellation insurance to cover that in case there was a reason to cancel the race. It shouldn't be the runner's risk.

Yes, I have heard that they do have insurance. Combine that with the prize money that they won't be paying out, the temporary staff (police officers, medical personnel, etc.) that they no longer have to pay, and certain supplies that can be transferred to other upcoming races, and it's safe to conclude that the NYRR will be profiting far in excess of any donations they are making. Some of these details will undoubtedly come to light in the weeks ahead, at which time some people are going to be shocked at the amount of money which does not directly go to the staging of the marathon.

[ceileigh]

http://run-race.blogspot.ca/2012/11/mar ... pizza.html

Written by someone in NY impacted by Sandy who was planning to run. Long but an interesting read.

[DougG]

Yep....didn't think a refund was possible, they have to recoup the money they spent on merchandise and all that. The least they can do is at least allow everyone that entered this year to pay half next year
Altogether, for the participants, it has been a difficult situation! I agree that the polititians should have handled this much better.

Refunds are possible. The organizers can choose to issue refunds. I get that their policy is no refunds, however people paid their money , but the organizers decided, albeit wisely, not to hold the race. It's not the fault of the runners the race wasn't held.
Refunds should be a given. No question.

[oink]

True....but remember, this might come under the "unforeseen circumstances / act of God" class that even insurance companies normally won't pay out for

Yep....didn't think a refund was possible, they have to recoup the money they spent on merchandise and all that. The least they can do is at least allow everyone that entered this year to pay half next year
Altogether, for the participants, it has been a difficult situation! I agree that the polititians should have handled this much better.

Refunds are possible. The organizers can choose to issue refunds. I get that their policy is no refunds, however people paid their money , but the organizers decided, albeit wisely, not to hold the race. It's not the fault of the runners the race wasn't held.
Refunds should be a given. No question.

Yes the US, home of litigation....I think this is one instance where trying to sue a person(s) in light of what happened to all those people, would be seen as not the smartest thing to do

Don't forget, this is the US. I'm sure there are a number of class action suits being prepared already. I wonder how much of the NYRR donations to the Red Cross etc. is to make them look good for the upcoming court cases.

Sure, they spent a lot of money preparing for the race but surely they had race cancellation insurance to cover that in case there was a reason to cancel the race. It shouldn't be the runner's risk.

[canalrunner]

Right call horribly handled by the mayor. The positive and premature statements earlier in the week that encouraged people to get on their flights and to not cancel their hotel rooms should have been an announcement would be made on a specific day. Sadly the late cancellation gives the feel of a new york hustle or a bait and switch with no real recourse. New York got the money from people coming, the people coming didn't get what they were promised. I think any real assessment of the city would have prompted early cancellation of the race since there were clearly more important things to be doing that delivering the marathon. Not sure many would argue the race should have gone on.

Here is hoping that the 2012 NY runners get automatic and free entry to an upcoming NY marathon. Spread out over 5 years, increase the numbers slightly and they won't even notice the cost. Or run two races next year. A friend of mine deferred last year and was running a $700 marathon this year---under the current approach should his next NY marathon cost him another $350?

Here's hoping for a good recovery to New York. Lots to do. Low on the list is the NY marathon.

[HCcD]

Interesting commentary on this mornings radio about cancelling the marathon, to transfer the resources of the marathon to the local community who really needs it at this time, yet, they are unwilling to cancel, postpone and/or even move today's NFL and NBA games ... I guess, the marathons had already paid for their ticket, while the NBA and NFL would take a huge economic hit/rift from lost wages, spending, etc., if these games were to be affected ...

And, yet, Jane's posting about ITP's reason for safety of the runners, have not been commented on the media, as far as I am aware ...

Definitely, the correct decision to cancel, for sure, but it appears to be a lot of spinning going around ...

[HCcD]

From FB posting ....

The scene from the Staten Island Ferry terminal earlier this morning. Runners are heading over to volunteer with hurricane relief efforts.