Among the nightmare scenarios for race organizers and participants alike is extreme weather. We saw this recently with Hurricane Sandy and the ING New York City Marathon.
With races across all seasons–including November, December and January–we have a certain exposure to inclement weather. This often leads to questions about whether it will affect the race. The Oktoberfest Run last month was a great example, with thunderstorms in the area and downpours all morning.
So here is an explanation of our weather policy:
Little known fact: on Father’s Day 1992, it snowed. These are volunteers Carly and Jordan huddled under a blanket at Seagram Stadium for the 15th Waterloo Classic.
- Safety is the primary concern. With input from the police, we will delay, postpone, or cancel a race if it is not safe to run at the time of the event, depending on a variety of factors.
- In the event of postponement, the likeliest scenario would involve the same time and place, delayed one week. Entry fees and registrations would be completely valid.
- In the event of cancellation, as is the industry standard, unfortunately refunds are not possible. Cancellation due to extreme weather could be caused by thunderstorms and lightning, severe winds, extreme heat or cold, or other extreme weather factors.
- Should a race ever be cancelled or postponed, care will be taken to make prompt and effective announcements, including: our own website, facebook, and twitter channels, on the ground at the event site, and news releases to local radio stations.
- Our guiding principle is that we run ‘rain or shine.’ If you count each stage of the ENDURrun as a separate race, we have organized over 150 distinct races over the past 25 years, and not a single start time has ever been postponed or cancelled.
We are both very fortunate and proud of that statistic. Chances are that the race will go, so as we get ready to hold our first-ever December race, you should get prepared to bundle up!
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
