2018 ENDURrace 5k cancelled

Update: the events are rescheduled for April 21 at 4 p.m.

– There will be no 5k and 2.5k race on April 14 due to dangerous road conditions.
– We are looking into all possible options to reschedule the 5k, however, please know this may not be possible.
– An announcement will be made on April 18 by noon (this announcement was made on April 16 at noon).
– There are no refunds available. T-shirts still exist and are available at the scheduled 8k on April 21.

Message from the Race Director

Despite our best efforts and intentions, and with the safety of participants and volunteers first and foremost in mind, we have made the decision to regretfully cancel the ENDURrace 5 KM & 2.5 KM Fun Run scheduled for Saturday April 14.

The severe weather alert issued by Environment Canada can’t be ignored.  I have just set up the course, and the weather conditions dramatically deteriorated even during this time period.

This is unprecedented in my 32 years of directing over 350 races and it is the first time I have ever cancelled a race. It is a decision that in some ways is very difficult – not the outcome anyone had hoped for – but also easy – based on this forecast, it is not safe to ask runners to take a chance on these roads, by car or on foot.

I sincerely want to run both the 5k and the 8k. This might not be possible, but we will exhaust all of our options. T-shirts will still be available next weekend. All perishable food will be donated to the needy. Costs have been incurred and refunds simply are not possible.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at [email protected] or 226-750-0017. We will post more details once available, no later than Wednesday April 18 at noon.

Thank you,
Lloyd Schmidt, Race Director

30 Comments

  • Aidan Kelly April 14, 2018 11:43 am

    Absolutely the right decision to make and thank you for having the courage to make it. Runners are a hardy and determined group and many would have braved dangerous road conditions to get to the race. Safety is the priority!

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 2:00 pm

      Thanks for your support Aidan. It was a very tough, but right, decision for everyone.

      • runwaterloo April 14, 2018 4:13 pm

        Thanks Aidan.

  • Trevor Bauman April 14, 2018 11:44 am

    I live right on the race course. You made the right decision – although with skates maybe I could break 20 minutes !

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 2:01 pm

      Give the skates a try Trevor, and let us know how it goes. Maybe try skis too.

  • Carolyn April 14, 2018 12:11 pm

    Thanks Lloyd for making a difficult decision. Always a first! Who would of thought at this time of year we would be still experiencing such icky weather..

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 2:03 pm

      They are calling this an ‘historic’ ice storm, so certainly nothing we can possibly do to make it safe to participate. Very disappointing. Thanks for your support Carolyn.

  • Larry Bradley April 14, 2018 12:26 pm

    Wise choice to cancel. I am happy to see all the support behind the move to make this tough decision. Let’s keep the comments positive as this myst have been a stressful call for Run Waterloo.com .

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 2:06 pm

      Thanks for your support Larry. We waited as long as we could, because it was such a tough decision. We even set up the course markers this morning in anticipation of going through with the race. Hope to never have to go through this again.

  • Tim Coleman April 14, 2018 12:35 pm

    WOW. I am really surprised, but totally understand. I’m not registered for this run, so it doesn’t affect me either way, but I ran this morning and it was awful, and it looks like it’s going to get worse.

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 2:08 pm

      Thanks Tim, it is getting worse, with race time conditions being -11 degrees, ice pellets and 62 km/hr winds.

  • Bob Humphreys April 14, 2018 1:00 pm

    Thanks for the difficult but wise decision Lloyd. I don’t think any of us wanted to risk injury today. See you next week.

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:19 pm

      We agree Bob, see you next week. Thanks.

  • Debbie Iwanyzki April 14, 2018 1:40 pm

    Absolutely the right decision to cancel. It’s for safety of everyone involved. Thank you for giving us out of towners such advanced notice. It’s greatky appreciated. Let’s hope for better weather on the 21st.

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:22 pm

      Thanks Debbie, we appreciate your understanding. See you next week.

  • Ryan April 14, 2018 1:56 pm

    Good call!

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:23 pm

      Thanks Ryan!

  • Tom Cahill April 14, 2018 2:06 pm

    Good call. Safety first. Never seen such miserable conditions for all of the races this March and April. See you next week…..fingers crossed.

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:25 pm

      It certainly is miserable, among other words I could use to describe the conditions. See you next week. Thanks Tom.

  • Joe Barnes April 14, 2018 3:17 pm

    Good call Lloyd, the tough ones like this are hard to make but you did it, thank you. Maybe you can try running the 5 and 8 back to back ? That’s only 13 k, easy eh ! Will be there next Saturday ready to go.

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:30 pm

      It was a harder decision than I thought it would be. And it’s a lot of work to “undo” everything that was done in preparation for the race today. But in the end, it had to be done. We have been brainstorming many ideas and options, and will announce something as soon as we get appropriate approvals. Thanks Joe.

  • Paulena April 14, 2018 3:25 pm

    That is unfortunate as this was the first run I had signed up with the organization. Made the right call, safety first. Hope it can be rescheduled!

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:35 pm

      I agree, that is not a great first impression of RunWaterloo. Hope you understand that it was beyond our control. We are looking at options to work around mother nature. We will let you know soon. Thanks Paulena.

  • Kim Spink April 14, 2018 3:37 pm

    I also agree that cancelling the race was a wise choice based on the warnings all over the news of a “potentially historic” ice storm. However, given the fact that this is a natural act, I disagree with the decision not to give anyone their money back. The least you could do is let them defer their payment and use it for another race. When the Rock ‘n” Roll full marathon was cancelled last year due to extreme heat warnings, people had the option to “run the half-marathon, defer their race entry to any open Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series, including Montreal 2018, or receive a full refund”. I have always loved the Waterloo Running Series races, but this decision doesn’t sit well with me.

    • runwaterloo April 14, 2018 4:05 pm

      Hi Kim, thanks for your feedback. It’s true that in some cases, races can provide refunds, which is definitely a great value. For-profit events with large margins definitely can have that flexibility. Anecdotally, it is our understanding that it is much more common for races to provide no further consideration besides distributing race swag. Today, our preferred way of addressing this is through a type of postponement which we are optimistic for, details forthcoming. With ENDURrace operating essentially at break-even margins, that is one of the risks, as almost all of the money has already been spent, and there simply isn’t a contingency fund for cases like this. Were you planning on joining us this evening?

  • Andrew Heij April 14, 2018 3:38 pm

    Thanks Lloyd and RW crew….appreciate the safety call. Sometimes you just don’t want to mess with nature….she is a little unhappy right now this weekend!

    Cheers

    • Lloyd Schmidt April 14, 2018 4:36 pm

      She is cranky. I even went out and set up the course this morning to show her that I wasn’t intimidated. She kicked my butt. Thanks Andrew.

  • runwaterloo April 14, 2018 4:17 pm

    Thank you everyone for your support and kind words. For everyone who knows what Run Waterloo is all about, you know that this is obviously not a decision we take lightly or for any reason other than what’s best for the community. For some runners who aren’t as familiar with us or with racing in general, reading these comments will go a long way to settling the uncertainty and we really appreciate it.

  • Rene Belanger April 14, 2018 8:07 pm

    Thanks for making the safe call today. I’m sure your team worked hard already for preparation for this event.
    Funny thing for me is that I’m 42 and just started running last year and both my events this weekend are cancelled. Other one was uxbridge 10k. I now realize how much I love it when i miss it! Did nothing for over 40 years and now can’t get enough.
    Well hope can still find a way to get in the 13k for that medal. I don’t know if doing the 5k as a virtual on our own time this week is something you would consider then just add that to the 8k next saturday? My time would be pretty much last place anyway. I just compete against myself and try to get a little faster every week. Thanks! Can’t wait to say hello in person!

    • runwaterloo April 14, 2018 9:57 pm

      Rene, thanks for the note. We are sincerely invested in the 5k by itself, and also the 5+8 combined concept. Stay tuned, stay warm, and hope to meet you next week!

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