I participated as a volunteer in the sweltering Chicago Marathon this past weekend. With a record breaking 91 degree temperature, I cheered on runners who were without water, gatorade or a sense of security as they watched fellow runners bring meaning to Snoop's phrase "Drop it like it's hot". People were passing out everywhere and at the halfway point, the race officials cancelled the marathon in effort to secure the safety of the runners and observers.
After 25 weeks of training, I can sympathize as a prior finisher the level of disappointment the race participants felt. However, at the end of the day, the LaSalle Bank Marathon Committee would not apologize or take any responsibility for the cancellation. Although, argueably ample water was available, the runners were utllizing 7-10 cups per aid station creating a gridlock since volunteers could not fill cups fast enough to manage the normal 1-2 cup per person traffic flow. I was told the wait for water was 4-5 minutes per aid station. OUCH!
Weather is a factor that cannot be controlled, nor could the race officials have forseen that this would be a problem. Cancelling the race was the safe adnd appropriate choice. Where I believe the race officials went wrong is their "no fault, no apology" stance.
In business, if your customer is unsatisfied, you need to do whatever neccessary to right the situation. Runners paid to partipate, they trained for weeks, many traveled with their families and endured the expense to compete in one of the greatest cities in the world. All they wanted after a huge let down was someone to say, "Hey, we knew it was hot and we are sorry the experience was not what we hoped it would be. The weather played a factor in the cancellation of the race and we invite you back next year and will discount/waive your entry fee as we want you to experience the wonder of finishing 26.2 miles as you view the Lake Michigan shores and the Chicago Skyline."
I'm not sure why that would have been so hard to say or do...instead, no accountability was taken and runners are left with a bitter taste in their mouth. This may not hurt the race attendance this year, but I would bet out of town runners will think twice before signing up for the Chicago Marathon again.