LetsRunners - Help Save The Pro NY Race - Where else can it be run and when?

Rojo makes a good point though. There are plenty of resources being used in MSG right now to host the Knicks Heat game. I think the fact that the marathon got more scrutiny is because it isn't confined to one venue, and because it has to pass through a lot of the city it may interfere with the rate of relief efforts. If you have a lot of streets blocked off, you can't transport supplies easily. If I were Mary I would have proposed changing the course to the Trials course (keeping it within Central Park). I think this would have been a reasonable compromise and a better solution for everyone involved.

1) Going through with a pro marathon because the income structure of the sport is backward is nonsense. If anything, this circumstance should highlight the need to reform that structure. Shit happens and if you want to make your living dependent on a couple of large paydays per year then you better be able to deal with acts of nature (injury, weather, whatever) causing a problem at one of them.

2) Right, football and baseball games have been postponed and played later or played at alternate venues due to hurricanes. Neither was ever mentioned as a possibility by NYCM officials. But then those sports are run by organizations with far greater financials at stake (season tickets, television rights, roster salaries) than NYCM. And far more capable people overseeing them. There have been other marathons that were shut-down due to inclement weather, too.

3) What's a non-starter? That all of those people who wouldn't get their entry fees back for a race they didn't get to run would think it amiss to hold a special race for elites? That others thinking about running NYCM would look askance at it and reconsider? You tell the bill-paying masses to stay home while keeping their money and then turn around to stage a special race for pros and people are going to take issue. Believe it or not.

Ironman NYC, toxic septic system spill, event cancelled for 2013.

NYC marathon, lack of early decision making causes trouble.

Is NYC too big for endurance events? Are they unable to plan major events?

d2xccoach wrote:

3 things here...

1) Appearance fees and prize money...Name 1 marathon to be held "in the next few weeks" that offers prize money even 1/3 of NYC. And name any marathons to be held the rest of this fall that have any significant appearance money available. Races have already committed their money for this fall.

2) Can anyone think of any major "sporting events that are held completely outdoors" that have been cancelled due to weather. There have to be some, but I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with any and I'm a blank. I can think of smaller running races and some XC ski races where this has happened, but nothing near the scope of the NYC marathon.

3) The press release states that the NYC will not be refunding entry fees so that's a non-starter regardless of whether or not they hold a pro race.

1) Who cares? Millions of people have been affected by this. Not being able to run a race due to injury, illness or a hurricane is a known hazard of the profession. To all of you worrying about the finances of the pro runners: rent the horse racing or auto racing track that is closest to NYC, charge spectators money to watch the professionals race and pay them their entry fees/prizes. Problem solved.

2) Yes, it is rather common in baseball. Look up the 2011 records of the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

There is little to compare between a 'pro' marathon and an NFL game. The NFL has a dedicated facility. If the NBA or NFL had an outdoor game scheduled on the public streets of NYC this week, they would've been savvy enough to postpone the day after the storm. If NJ needed the football stadium to house those put out by the storm, they would've moved the game to a neutral field the day after the storm.

A marathon is hardly a professional sporting event anyway. The NYC marathon is a hobby race/walk that is able to generously support it's own charity called appearance fees only because 50,000 people pay $300 to run. How many of the 50,000 people running or thousands watching could name 5 professional runners in the race or even know who won a week after the race?

Move it half an hour upstate to Westchester County. Do a simple 5 or 10 mile loop just for the pros. Do it Next Sunday or earlier.

SFbayRunner wrote:

Night race. Four loops around Central Park. ESPN. This weekend. It would be so great.

Absolutely! It would be incredible. Give all the non-elite marathoners something to assemble for and cheer about. Give NYCers something to cheer about.

Better, actually, to start it at 12 noon on Sunday. Give people a chance to have brunch. Give everybody plenty of chance to assemble. Let the East Side bars and West Side bars get a head of steam on.

This Sunday, noon.

Yes, it sucks for the pro marathoners who will, it seems, lose an important payday because of the storm.

They have lots of company in that regard.

I think it's fine to advocate on the behalf of the pros, as long as perspective is kept. Maybe something like this ...

"Many people are suffering, economically and otherwise, from this storm. Part of the recovery will be communities coming together to assist each other. As the running community, we are concerned for the elite marathoners for whom the NYC Marathon represented a rare opportunity for a significant paycheck. We would like to find some way to give those professionals a chance to earn that money. We hope that other communities will undertake similar relief efforts for the many other groups impacted by this storm, as we realize that the situation of a few elite marathoners is only one very small piece of this sad puzzle."

Do the NYC Ironman course. Lots of running in NJ that were not affected (i.e. not the shore) and very few roads in NYC to close.

I say they get a bunch of treadmills on Times Square and have them run the 26.2 miles on them.

With 1% incline of course! Or else, the time would not be legal.

Just my two cents.

Speaking of jumping the shark, Lets Run has officially jumped the shark. Is it possible for the average Lets Run poster to think, for even one second, about something other than himself? Have you ever been to a disaster area within a week of a storm? People don't have fresh water but to read these comments you would think every Lets Run poster finds it appropriate to try to run 25,000 people through the City, handing out water so they can achieve some life goal. Seriously? Other than the 10 elite men and 10 elite women in the race, the fact that it got canceled is not going to matter at all starting tomorrow.

"Oh poor me! I'm a 2:30 marathoner. I missed out on my chance to run a 2:27..... That would have meant so much to me" (and my mom.) Here's a clue Lets Run posters... no one other than you cares about your running unless you are world class. Get a clue. Sometimes things are more important than your athletic hobby.

If you care that much about running the NYC marathon there's absolutely nothing stopping you from running the course on the sidewalks of NY on Sunday. Go for it! You're so important.

They are victims when they get told the race is on and then arrive to be told its canceled

^^^^^^ completely agreed!

I can't believe that the NYRR's told everyone all week that the marathon was still going to happen and then cancelled it on the day that most runners arrive!

Many people (including the 10,000+ runners from other countries) may have been able to cancel (at least some) of their travel plans and saved some of the thousands of dollars they spent on travel if the NYRR's made this decision earlier in the week! For this announcement to be made today is ridiculous and is just wrong!!!

Between this and the bag check issue earlier in the year, Mary Wittenberg is obviously NOT capable of managing things! Hopefully she realizes that and steps down!!!

What's even more ridiculous, is that you (RoJo) are trying to scrape together a pro race just so the Elite runners who are already getting their expenses and appearance fees paid can make MORE money when the ordinary runners that are making it possible for the pro runners to get paid in the first place are getting screwed!

It's also laughable that you would make any comparison between an elite marathoner and an NFL or NBA player to an ordinary person! I'm sure that the Deputy Mayor and his office staff had a good laugh about it when he hung up the phone with you. Maybe you live in a bubble? In case you don't realize it, marathons in this country are about the general population (the 3:30 to 6:00 finishers), NOT the elite runners! 99.9% of Americans just don't care! To most Americans, marathoners are not athletes, they are a small breed of idiots that like to torture themselves...

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/254015/november-02-2009/sport-report---nyc-marathon---olympic-speedskating

Instead of having a thread about making a pro race happen, someone should start a thread about getting a class action lawsuit together against the NYRR's to reimburse all the ordinary runners entry fees and travel expenses back to them!

Adding to my earlier comment, check out the poll on ESPN's home page right now. 84% of the public thinks canceling was a good idea. Obviously the 16% that disagrees are all posting here. Sad.

pigeonhead wrote:

[quote]Elites' careers depend on this wrote:

[quote]foobar99 wrote:

What about some of the non-elite runners who were planning on coming out of no where and running the marathon and winning the race and beating out all of the elites. Wouldn't you be upset if you knew your fitness was good enough to win and not able to run because you're not labeled an elite?

i hope youre kidding.

Run it on Bear Mountain, convert to trail race.

ARe the people comparing this being canceled as some major hardship kidding on here? For whom again?

They have not even found every dead body from this in Staten Island possibly, and folks are comparing this to what? An NFL game which is tightly constrained geographically , does not require hundreds if not 1000s plus in Police support to make happen?

Take a drive down the parkway in NJ or out to Long Island or speak to anyone that lost a home or their possesions or a loved one.

I cannot believe that there is a headline on here that says "MOB wins", simply insane, so irresponsible and childish as well.

You can love running and all that that entails all you want,to worry about maybe 15 people that would get some working paychecks from this, is assinine.

Almost 20 people died in Staten Island enlighten me as to how this would be some "feel good" "come together" event?

There are not 20 Pros that would make SERIOUS money from this event.

Some need to re think their position how a dozen or so Pros really got screwed here.

Jog to Staten Island and give folks who have NO water something to drink, how's that? Maybe a couple of f'ing energy bars as well?

I have a a park on the jersey side of the River.. a 5k loop with six turns.. or an 8.3 mile loop with 10 turns...great spectator course.....

How are you thinking of the thousands of businesses that not only lost a week of business but one of their best weekends of the year. The tens of thousands of people that come into the city for the weekend spend millions of dollars. The estimates i have heard are 200-300 million dollars in the last few years. That is what people need after a disaster. I do think they should have changed the course to avoid as many disruptions as possible. The arguments that all the water and food used could go to victims are not based in reality. Kind of how if americans in general ate 10 percent less meat we could feed millions of africans. It relies on the fallacy that one group is taking from another and their is limit to supplies. The reality is the water and food for the marathon will not go to the city now because there is no marathon. Its not going to automatically be given to victims. Regardless of how runners are effected economic stimulus is the best medicine. While giving free food and shelter might sound helpful it is only in the very short term because it destroys people way to make a living.