I was hoping to post about my big accomplishment of completing a marathon,
but "mother nature" had other ideas.
After training with a great group of ladies (FAB 50)
I was ready to go!
The Clearwater Classic Distance Marathon
was scheduled for Sunday January 17, 2016.
Also scheduled were a 5K Walkathon, 5 Miler, Halfathon & 50K Ultra.
Late Saturday we notified of a possible delay
due to storms that would be arriving in the area in the early morning hours.
A one hour delay was confirmed before I went to bed.
We were also told there would be no early start,
so all events were scheduled for an 8:05 am start.
Upon arriving at Coachman Park at 7:30 am we were told we could start early,
so off we went!
 |
| Pausing for a photo op at Clearwater Beach |
About this time on the course we were told it would only be a half marathon
due to flooding on the course.
I was sceptical & did not want to change my mind set.
I told a fellow FAB 50 sister that I would believe it when I saw it.
We did turn around at the half marathon point
and thought maybe we would run that course twice to make the marathon distance.
End result - it truly was just a half marathon event!
The temperatures dropped & the winds picked up!!
By the time we ran back by Clearwater Beach we were being sandblasted.
By the time we ran back by Clearwater Beach we were being sandblasted.
There were many times I was stopped in my tracks & blown sideways.
There was debris flying everywhere.
I was truly thankful it was only 13.1 miles!!
I found out later we had wind gusts from 26-43 mph!!!
We ran a Windathon instead of a marathon.
I found out later we had wind gusts from 26-43 mph!!!
We ran a Windathon instead of a marathon.
Our coach is planning for our group to run a marathon on our own soon,
so that the marathon bling will have true meaning.
Here are a couple of facebook posts from the Race Director.
One is the night before the event & the other is the day after the event.
I'm glad I wasn't in his shoes!!
01/16/16 One is the night before the event & the other is the day after the event.
I'm glad I wasn't in his shoes!!
***WEATHER / CHANGE OF SCHEDULE ADVISORY***
Tomorrow's Clearwater Distance Classic
Due to the extreme weather forecast for overnight, we are officiailly announcing our start time is now scheduled for 8:00 am for our wheeled athletes, followed by our mass start for all events at 8:05 am. Please note: there may be additional delays in the morning, but with this announcement, we will NOT be starting any earlier than the times listed above.
Our entire schedule will be
shifted by one hour. For instance, packet pick-up, which was scheduled
to begin at 5:15 am, will now begin at 6:15 am, pending the weather
situation at the time.
Much thought and conversation throughout the day went into making this decision with several stakeholders, including several law enforcement agencies. Our reasoning is as follows: depending on what forecast you see, the only consensus is that there will a strong line of showers moving rapidly through the area overnight, including rain, wind, and lightning. Once it passes, we will be left with windy conditions, but no additional thunderstorms forecast.
With all that needs to be done in the hours immediately prior to staging this race, I simply refuse to put our athletes, volunteers, crew, and law enforcement agencies in harm's way when the storms are at their strongest.
This decision should also keep athletes driving into Clearwater off the roads when the storms are at their strongest.
In addition to the scheduling change, I regret to announce we will not be able to place our mile marks along the course. We use metal "A" frames, which if installed, would likely blow over and be rendered useless. More importantly, with gale force winds projected, these frames could easily become airborne projectiles, creating an unnecessary safety concern for athletes and vehicles. Finally, for these mile marks to be set, I normally execute that operation leaving my house at 3:00 am. As stated above, that is exacty when the storms will be at their strongest.
I am truly sorry for any inconvenience these changes will create for our runners, but we believe this is our best course of action considering such extreme weather.
Finally, with several more hours of preparation for tomorrow's race, I will be unable to respond to most emails and facebook posts.
There will be no more advisories after this, so I ask you to share this with your friends through whatever means at your disposal.
Many thanks for your understanding and patience as we attempt to run this race tomorrow in a manner as safe as possible for all parties.
01/18/16
Woke up this morning in complete awe of our athletic friends who took on Mother Nature and showed her who's boss during yesterday's Clearwater Distance Classic. Here is how EPIC it truly was:
8:18am 22mph, gusts 26 mph
8:30am 31 mph, gusts 36mph
8:48am 33 mph,gusts 40mph
9:00am 33mph,gusts 38 mph
9:36am 36mph,gusts 43mph
Rya and I are so incredibly proud to know so many highly motivated, inspirational individuals who are so dedicated to running that not even gale force winds could deter them.
On a day that Naples cancelled their half marathon, the Sunshine Skyway was closed, and tornadoes took two lives less than 100 miles away, each of YOU woke up yesterday, probably glanced at the latest forecast, and put forth ALL the effort to join us. WOW! That's motivated!
HUGE, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who ran with us.
We are also so very proud of all the supporters who came together - crew, volunteers, law enforcement, vendors and everyone else - to enable our athletes the opportunity to excel.
For me, personally, with the exception of dealing with a fatality during a Jet Ski race in St. Petersburg, this was simply THE MOST CHALLENGING event I have staged in my 37 years of race management.
Today was spent returning equipment, supplies, and trucks, along with removing signage from the Pinellas Trail.
Obviously we had issues that were way beyond our control and I will be addressing them in a subsequent post.
Please know that there is no one more disappointed than us in how yesterday developed.
Just as our athletes have been training for months, we have been working towards yesterday since last year.
THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH for joining us, your continued support, and your kind words.
Chris Lauber
Race Director
Much thought and conversation throughout the day went into making this decision with several stakeholders, including several law enforcement agencies. Our reasoning is as follows: depending on what forecast you see, the only consensus is that there will a strong line of showers moving rapidly through the area overnight, including rain, wind, and lightning. Once it passes, we will be left with windy conditions, but no additional thunderstorms forecast.
With all that needs to be done in the hours immediately prior to staging this race, I simply refuse to put our athletes, volunteers, crew, and law enforcement agencies in harm's way when the storms are at their strongest.
This decision should also keep athletes driving into Clearwater off the roads when the storms are at their strongest.
In addition to the scheduling change, I regret to announce we will not be able to place our mile marks along the course. We use metal "A" frames, which if installed, would likely blow over and be rendered useless. More importantly, with gale force winds projected, these frames could easily become airborne projectiles, creating an unnecessary safety concern for athletes and vehicles. Finally, for these mile marks to be set, I normally execute that operation leaving my house at 3:00 am. As stated above, that is exacty when the storms will be at their strongest.
I am truly sorry for any inconvenience these changes will create for our runners, but we believe this is our best course of action considering such extreme weather.
Finally, with several more hours of preparation for tomorrow's race, I will be unable to respond to most emails and facebook posts.
There will be no more advisories after this, so I ask you to share this with your friends through whatever means at your disposal.
Many thanks for your understanding and patience as we attempt to run this race tomorrow in a manner as safe as possible for all parties.
01/18/16
Woke up this morning in complete awe of our athletic friends who took on Mother Nature and showed her who's boss during yesterday's Clearwater Distance Classic. Here is how EPIC it truly was:
8:18am 22mph, gusts 26 mph
8:30am 31 mph, gusts 36mph
8:48am 33 mph,gusts 40mph
9:00am 33mph,gusts 38 mph
9:36am 36mph,gusts 43mph
Rya and I are so incredibly proud to know so many highly motivated, inspirational individuals who are so dedicated to running that not even gale force winds could deter them.
On a day that Naples cancelled their half marathon, the Sunshine Skyway was closed, and tornadoes took two lives less than 100 miles away, each of YOU woke up yesterday, probably glanced at the latest forecast, and put forth ALL the effort to join us. WOW! That's motivated!
HUGE, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who ran with us.
We are also so very proud of all the supporters who came together - crew, volunteers, law enforcement, vendors and everyone else - to enable our athletes the opportunity to excel.
For me, personally, with the exception of dealing with a fatality during a Jet Ski race in St. Petersburg, this was simply THE MOST CHALLENGING event I have staged in my 37 years of race management.
Today was spent returning equipment, supplies, and trucks, along with removing signage from the Pinellas Trail.
Obviously we had issues that were way beyond our control and I will be addressing them in a subsequent post.
Please know that there is no one more disappointed than us in how yesterday developed.
Just as our athletes have been training for months, we have been working towards yesterday since last year.
THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH for joining us, your continued support, and your kind words.
Chris Lauber
Race Director
No comments:
Post a Comment