So, this happened…
…which means the half marathon DIDN’T happen. It’s a bummer to be sure but safety has to be the chief concern. I’ve run in all sorts of conditions — rain, sleet, wind, heat, hail, sub-freezing temperatures — and over all kinds of terrain. But while I would always prefer to be running, even more than that I would prefer to be able to run again. Hard to imagine shaking off a lightning strike and getting in the remaining mileage… and then lacing up the next day for a marathon. So they’ll catch some flack and people will be up in arms. Had they held the race and somebody gotten hurt they’d have been drawn and quartered. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But I think they made the right call. It’s disappointing but better to be disappointed than electrocuted.
On top of that, despite the race waiver’s specifically giving the organizers a boilerplate “out” for acts of god and such (honestly the boilerplate is so skewed toward the organizers that even a first year law school student would advise one to NEVER sign it), Disney is trying to make things right. They posted this around 10 or 10:30 PM last night:
There will be quacking from some that the refunds are all “Disney” based — a Disney Gift Card, a Disney Ticket, another race with Disney. But if you’re here to do this event, you’re most likely a DisneyHead anyway so you’ll spend the time and money eventually. Again, I think they’re doing all they can in an unfortunate situation. Nobody’s happy about this (Disney included), but isn’t that the legal short-hand definition of compromise? Everybody’s a little unhappy?
As for me, the forecast calls for clearing skies by 10 AM today. I’ll suit up and tie two shoes on and pound the pavement around my house for 13.1 miles. Not out of protest as some Facebook runners claim they’ll be doing by running around the Disney parks today, but because I carbo loaded for a longer run so need to do something to burn the excess calories and stress of the day. So, ya know, it’s just another day and (eventually) just another run.
But I’ll tell you one thing I know for certain — Donald Duck, the mascot of the half marathon, is seriously fowl-mouthed this morning.
He already feels under-appreciated in the land of the mouse. I bet his feathers are really ruffled about having HIS event cancelled.
