Saturday, March 1, 2014

This Weekend's 12 Mile Run and OH NO!!!



First the good-

It wasn't as bad as last week.  I wasn't counting steps (yes, last week I did that to get through the last mile.)  The roads were mostly clear.  I didn't feel sick when I finished.  It was sunny.  I got really sick this week and almost died Wednesday (being a bit dramatic here), still felt lousy and was home on Thursday and went back to work on Friday but could have legitimately stayed home.  I wasn't even sure I would be able to do this and I could.  I wasn't tired later and actually had  a lot of energy all day.

Then the bad.....

I was really tired though a lot of this.  It was windy.  It was really cold.  I couldn't drink my water without a great deal of effort because of all the ice.  I was achy and tired as I was finishing.

The really bad........

Look at this email I got today.  
It is with great regret that we have to inform you that the York Harbor Half Marathon will not be taking place on 3/16/14.
 
We were notified by the York Police Dept. and Fire Dept. on Wednesday (2/26/14) that they feel it is unsafe for runners to run on the roads due to the high snow banks and conditions of the roads, i.e., potholes and more snow that could fall between now and race day.   
 
We tried to work with them, giving them three additional dates to reschedule the race two in April and one early May.  They were not interested in rescheduling.  We gave them an alternate route, they again were not interested in rerouting the course.
 
Running4free will refund all of your entry fees.  This process might take us 30-45 days as we have to locate everyone’s payment methods and contact information, etc.  Its going to be very time consuming for us to issue refunds through PayPal.  We can not issue refunds through PayPal that are over 60 days so we will be writing checks and mailing refunds if you registered over 60 days ago.  We ask that you bear with us during this process and if you have any questions, please either call or email us. 
 
We are so upset about this as we have been planning this race for a year now and I know runners have been training for this event.  In 19 yrs of Race Management we have never dealt with a Town that had so little interest in working together and building an event. 
 
We thank you for registering and being part of the decision process, i.e., t-shirt colors without our customers, we would be nothing.  We were so looking forward to a March Half Marathon in Southern Maine.  We will locate a course and a Town that wants to work with us in 2015. 

Last year I did 5 half marathons not well trained partly because of my sprained ankle. I have trained so thoroughly for this and then this happens!  I am searching for a substitute but halves in New England in mid March are scarce.  

I have to say I also used to do the All Women and One Lucky Guy in York and that got moved to.  I am guessing the town isn't easy to work with.

So if you know of any mid March to late March halves in northern NE or NY let me know.

17 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

Oh man, that really stinks. :( I feel bad for you, and I feel bad for the race promoters. What a disappointment all around.

Glad you're finally feeling better and that your run went well. I hope you're able to find a replacement race!

Jill said...

Ha, Kate's first line was exactly what I was going to say. So bummed for you...but keep up the longer runs and you'll be ready for one in April when it's better weather. Sucks the town wasn't interested in helping; I'm sure it was for a good cause, too.

I was so so soooo sick a couple weeks ago so I fully empathize with how you felt. Glad you're on the mend!! Stay warm!

Amy said...

Oh no!!!! That really does suck, so sorry to hear this.

I'm glad you're feeling better though! Hopefully you'll get some warmer days soon.

Unknown said...

It's very unfortunate that your target race got cancelled!!!! Best wishes finding a suitable replacement

EB said...

So sorry your race got cancelled. I am impressed how hard they are working to refund everyone's money. Hopefully you can find another race and they can find a more agreeable town in the future.

Teamarcia said...

What a bummer. I was wondering how they were able to cancel it so far in advance but I guess potholes won't be fixed. There's a half here on that day and I can't help but wonder what they're going thru because conditions are exceptionally bad here too. How disappointing.

Anonymous said...

So not cool. I will be boycotting York Harbor of all things on your behalf.

Ransick said...

Bummer about the race. Like Jill said, keep the long runs up and do a half in April. Do one for me too :-).

christa said...

That's a bummer, and unplugged is full...
But I love York, Maine. Why are they being difficult??

Liz said...

This bit is really sad: "In 19 yrs of Race Management we have never dealt with a Town that had so little interest in working together and building an event"

What a shame! I hope you can find another race.

Char said...

So frustrating for you when you've put in so much training. And so frustrating for the race organisers when they're not getting any cooperation from the powers that be. We have similar lack of interest in road races in my city. It's the capital city in the state and yet its marathon does not get any help from the local government. Our state's premier marathon is not in the capital but on the gold coast (an hours drive away). The city council says it can't shut down roads because it creates too many problems and yet other capital cities shut major roads for theirs. - including the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Fran said...

As I've read on FB I think you have found another race to do for this one. Nothing more frustrating than train and be ready for a race that is cancelled last minute.

Giorgio said...

Sorry to hear that the race got cancelled! I hope you'll enjoy your next event. Keep running!

Christy Ashley said...

Oh no! That sucks! I was supposed to run the NYC Marathon the year it got cancelled and it's such a heartbreak to have a race you've been working toward get cancelled! I hope you find something else!

Michael said...

I am so sorry, that really does suck!! At least you did get some advance notice and can maybe find a replacement. It definitely sounds like they didn't want to work with the race at all...I mean who cancels a race 2 weeks in advance due to weather???

Laurie said...

Bummer. Hope you find one soon. If not, my next one is in April in N. Myrtle Beach. The Divas Half. Come on down.

Unknown said...

Hi. This is actually a random post. But I was signed up do to the York Harbor Half and was bummed when it was cancelled. But my question to you is that in the email were to be refunded and I have yet to see anything yet. I have emailed several times and nothing. I don't see that they have a FB page. I googled York Harbor Half and came across your blog. My apologies for posting this here. But I'm trying to see if anyone else is in the same predicament as me. Thank you so much! I'm glad I came across your blog either way!!!!