NYC marathon and hurricane

It all depends on what happens in the next 24-36 hours. Main concerns probably are:

1. Flooding down in lower Manhattan affecting the ferry/subways down their. They rely a lot on getting most of the people to the start with that mode of transportation.

2. Power. If power is out for an extended period of time, it might cause problems.

3. Transporation. Might me a big backlog of residual delays into the airports, causing people to miss the race, etc.

4. Will the start area at S.I. be under water at any point. Some areas in Brooklyn/Queens are in low lying areas.

My belief is that the race will not be affected at all, however some people might not be able to travel to the race due to clogged flights with everyone rebooking.

The weather as usual is looking to be dandy on Sunday for the race. I wonder what would have happened if this storm would have hit this upcoming weekend???

I am sure some overseas runners will not make it to NYC because of their cancelled flights. Since there will be at least two days of flights cancelled, the remaining three days of the week may not be enough to get them in.

Biggest concern for the Marathon itself is downed trees in CP. Depending on the damage, it may take a while until CP driveway can be opened again. But until now, that's all speculation since the storm is yet to come.

i would imagine central park setup will be way behind. they normally set up the bleachers and fencing well ahead of the race. No way you have that stuff laying around to get blown about during the storm. So it could get interesting.

My neighbor (I'm in IL) works for FEMA and he was just called out to NJ. He said they believe the marathon will be cancelled later today or tomorrow, due to flooding and damage. I'm not sure if I believe this yet, but he's not one to exaggerate. I'm not a troll -- I'm signed up for the race as well and our flight leaves Thurs. This trip is costing a lot of money, so I hope it doesn't get cancelled.

As I said, I'll believe this when I see it, but my neighbor is not a guy who stretches the truth.

This would suck...my flight leaves Friday (from Madison, WI)...hope you (or your neighbor) is trolling...

napper wrote:

My neighbor (I'm in IL) works for FEMA and he was just called out to NJ. He said they believe the marathon will be cancelled later today or tomorrow, due to flooding and damage. I'm not sure if I believe this yet, but he's not one to exaggerate. I'm not a troll -- I'm signed up for the race as well and our flight leaves Thurs. This trip is costing a lot of money, so I hope it doesn't get cancelled.

As I said, I'll believe this when I see it, but my neighbor is not a guy who stretches the truth.

Nope, not a troll. But my neighbor could be wrong. The email my wife sent me indicated that FEMA "believes" that the marathon will be cancelled later today or tomorrow. I would imagine that Wittenberg would want to first see just how much damage is caused before making a final decision. Being ultraconservative is certain to piss off a lot of people coming from far away.

But I would expect FEMA has a lot of sway over what the marathon organizers decide, given it's FEMA's resources that are impacted by Mary's decision.

I'll post again if I get any other updates from them. From what I've read online, the storm is not that bad yet.

If the race is cancelled due to weather, is there a refund policy? Just curious. I am not signed up; I just wonder about how these things play out.

Losing $260 plus all other costs is a lot to stomach without any reimbursement, even if it isn't the fault of NYCM.

It is "an act of God" why should the NYRR have to refund entrees? The NYRR has already incurred many expenses how do they pay or those?

Notbad wrote:

It is "an act of God" why should the NYRR have to refund entrees? The NYRR has already incurred many expenses how do they pay or those?

I didn't say they should have to refund anyone. I simply asked if there was a refund policy. For instance, did NYCM take out an insurance policy so that they could refund racers? Maybe they do this to make the event more appealing, I don't know. It was just a question.

Fatty in a Horse Mask wrote:

If the race is cancelled due to weather, is there a refund policy? Just curious. I am not signed up; I just wonder about how these things play out.

Losing $260 plus all other costs is a lot to stomach without any reimbursement, even if it isn't the fault of NYCM.

More than losing the money, much more worried about losing my chance to run the race. I have not qualified under the new, stricter, standards. I'd imagine all the people who were selected through the lottery would be equally bummed to miss it, I don't think the odds are good of getting in that way in any given year.

for me, I've got $3100 in hotel rooms and $1200 in airfare at stake (as this is also a family vacation for us). But I would think that if they cancel the marathon, they'll let you in next year even if you haven't met the new 2013 qualifying times.

napper wrote:

for me, I've got $3100 in hotel rooms and $1200 in airfare at stake (as this is also a family vacation for us). But I would think that if they cancel the marathon, they'll let you in next year even if you haven't met the new 2013 qualifying times.

Can you cancel your hotel rooms? I can cancel mine up to 24hrs in advance I believe. I'd probably be out ~$500 of non-registration related costs (train tickets and broadway tickets, specifically). It's possible the airline would let you re-book your airfare without a fee since it is hurricane related.

In any case, I hope this doesn't happen . . . unless there is very large damage as a result of the hurricane (quite possible I know), it seems like everything else should be manageable to have the race.

cyhawk:

More than losing the money, much more worried about losing my chance to run the race. I have not qualified under the new, stricter, standards. I'd imagine all the people who were selected through the lottery would be equally bummed to miss it, I don't think the odds are good of getting in that way in any given year.

I imagine if they have to cancel the race, which I still see as extremely unlikely, that they would figure out a way to accomodate people in your situation. NYRR takes a lot of backlash and criticism to heart and generally comes up with a reasonable solution (see: baggage check debacle this year or Bronx half cancellation during Irene). I could see them definitely keeping the lower standards in place again for next year, and trying to figure out a way to help the lottery people get in more easily next year (maybe being entered twice into the lotto?)... Keeper the old standards seems like a likely solution. I'm just brainstorming on the lottery idea.

I pricelined my rooms so I can't cancel them. $260 per night (plus tax) for lower east side (hilton at 42nd and 2nd ave). So I'll plan to go even if they cancel the marathon (which I really hope does not happen).

des wrote:

I imagine if they have to cancel the race, which I still see as extremely unlikely, that they would figure out a way to accomodate people in your situation. NYRR takes a lot of backlash and criticism to heart and generally comes up with a reasonable solution (see: baggage check debacle this year or Bronx half cancellation during Irene). I could see them definitely keeping the lower standards in place again for next year, and trying to figure out a way to help the lottery people get in more easily next year (maybe being entered twice into the lotto?)... Keeper the old standards seems like a likely solution. I'm just brainstorming on the lottery idea.

I suppose since no one has a slot for next year, they could just offer to roll everyone for a year, which would probably mean not even having a lottery for 2013. That would be tough on their revenue from the race, so I don't know how likely it is.

I think no matter what, race entries are gone and would have to be paid again. I would agree with you about the likelihood of cancelling. I do find the comments from the previous poster about FEMA worrisome, assuming the poster is not a troll.

cyhawk wrote:

I suppose since no one has a slot for next year, they could just offer to roll everyone for a year, which would probably mean not even having a lottery for 2013. That would be tough on their revenue from the race, so I don't know how likely it is.

I think no matter what, race entries are gone and would have to be paid again. I would agree with you about the likelihood of cancelling. I do find the comments from the previous poster about FEMA worrisome, assuming the poster is not a troll.

Yeah, I agree that they can't roll everyone over through free deferrals to next year. Everyone would have to repay the entry fee at a minimum (again speculating: but maybe give people a discount on entry who were supposed to run this year), and I still see them having a lottery system regardless.

Hopefully, it doesn't come to that, and the FEMA poster is worrisome, but I am not putting too much stock into it at this point. With all the economic implications of this event for NYRR and NYC, I see NYRR and the city doing everything they can to make it happen. Now if half of Manhattan ends up homeless on Wednesday and subways are shut down for weeks... that's another story...but it won't be cancelled until a true damage assessment can be done after the storm.

This is good news:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nyc-marathon-organizers-expect-little-effect-from-hurricane-sandy-on-sundays-race/2012/10/29/c9f09da2-21eb-11e2-92f8-7f9c4daf276a_story.html

I just (1:51pm EDT) got the call from ConEd: they're (probably) going to start shutting down the electricity before their structure gets flooded. Could be anytime.

Meanwhile, I live 12 storeys up, and will need to take the stairs (to avoid getting stranded in the elevator when the power goes off). We have some old people in this building--they're not going to enjoy climbing 6-12 flights...

I find it funny as hell that people may be losing their homes and businesses may be out of business forever, but people are concerned with whether or not they will get their vacation money back. Pathetic.