Oof. Meteorological fall got off to a rough start around here. On Tuesday morning I should have been singing and dancing around my house, putting up orange twinkle lights and strewing pumpkins everywhere. The decorations did go up, but I was really dragging. There were a few reasons, but the main one was, on Monday night I found out…
My big race in March has been CANCELED.
You might be thinking, didn’t you have a race in November that was canceled as well? Yes! I did. What in the world is going on? Have I been cursed???
To be more accurate, the race in November wasn’t canceled. It was listed on UltraSignup as a 50k but then reformatted to be an “adventure race” involving things like kayaks and bicycles (nope- not doing that). The race in March, Hungryland Ultra, was outright canceled.
We got an email from the race director Monday night, sadly informing us that he had made the very tough decision to cancel the race. He said that it’s a very difficult race to put on, and that in recent years the lack of volunteers has made it especially tricky. When I did it last year, the aid stations in the middle of the course were unmanned overnight (but had plenty of water and ice for runners coming through). This didn’t bother me, but there were people running all night long. The RD said he couldn’t in good conscience jeopardize the safety of the runners again. Obviously for those of us already signed up, our money will be refunded.
I’m SO SAD!!! But the next thing you might be thinking is, why don’t you just sign up for another race?
Not so fast! Let me list the ways in which this race was perfect and unique:
- It’s close to where I live. There really aren’t a lot of trail ultras in South Florida, and this one was only an hour away from me so I could sleep in my own bed the night before and not have to drive far away and pay for a hotel.
- I loved the format. It was a 33 hour race, where you ran as many, or as few, 15 mile loops as you wanted. There were people who used the race to run their first 50k, people who ran over 100 miles, and all distances in between.
- I had an emotional attachment to it. Last year, the race was on my 60th birthday, and I ran 60 miles (my longest distance to date). It was such an incredible experience that I signed up again as soon as registration opened on April 1st. This time, the race would be the day before my birthday, but since I planned to run farther, I would still be running past midnight (if all went well) and into my actual birthday.
As you can see, there is not going to be another race like this one. Obviously I’ve been scouring UltraSignup incessantly! There are plenty of Florida races, but they all have something wrong with them- wrong distance, wrong time, already sold out (I know they canceled Hungryland now so as to let people find other races, but some of the big ones are already sold out) OR the races have a weird format that I’m not interested in- a track ultra, or an urban ultra (where you’re running around city neighborhoods). I just want a trail ultra, on my birthday weekend, not too far away, where I can run whatever distance I want. Is that really too much to ask??? Ha.
Don’t worry about me… I’ll just be sitting here, smelling my pumpkin clove candle while scheming and dreaming. I’ll figure something out.
How is your September going so far?
26 Responses
oh sorry to hear that Jenny, what a bummer. is it common to cancel a race 6 months before the start?
September is going well so far, not sleeping enough and hotter than usual, but all is good.
No, I would say this is NOT common! It really came out of the blue. I was so set on doing that race- ARG!
That’s a bummer!! But it also makes me think, how lucky you were that you got to do the race last year, on your actual birthday. And that it was the last time they did it makes it even more special!
I know- I did think of that. I’m lucky I got to do it last year.
Oh, man, that stinks. I hope you can find some good races.
Grab a few cats to cuddle with you while you scheme on the couch- both Muffin and Foxy are very appropriate fall colors!
Given that it was at least 97°F here so far, my September is not the glorious autumnal kick off it should be. The trees are still green- but a harsh, hard green. I’ll yearning for the cool nights to come.
I know- you’re also having a rough start to meteorological fall up there. My son and sister and in Illinois and I keep checking the weather- UGH!
Oh no! I had a few races that I loved in my running days that died out or changed to a different location and didn’t have the same magic after that. The only silver lining that I can come up with is that I had a few experiences with having a great race one year and then a dud the next time, so there is no risk that anything will tarnish your memory of the Sensational Sixty.
I know that you will find another race and yada yada but still…RIP Hungryland Ultra.
Yes, that’s a GREAT point. There’s no guarantee this year would have been a good experience. There are so many ways it could have been terrible (I’m thinking weather-wise). So- maybe this is all for the best. There’s no way we’ll ever know.
Oh what a shame! I know how much you were looking forward to it. I’m sorry, Jenny. That’s really too bad.
Thank you so much Nicole : )
I’m so sorry about the canceled race! Like I said before, I wish you lived in AZ because we have tons of ultras all year long — when it gets too hot in the desert, there are races up north. But I get wanting to do a race that’s close to home. Most of the races I’ve done have been in AZ but still not close enough to where I live that I have to stay somewhere overnight or for a few nights and it makes for a nice little vacation, but I know that’s not always possible.
I haven’t had a race canceled yet but two years ago, the trail marathon I was doing on my birthday was threatened by a wildfire and I didn’t really know until a week and a half out if it would be happening! And that one was more difficult logistically because it was out of state so required more driving and multiple nights of lodging. It ended up happening but with a big course change but I was happy I got to do it. This year, the same race was outright canceled because of another fire and now I don’t know if it’ll happen in the future depending on the damage that was done in the area. So I’m glad I was able to do the race (twice! It was also my first race ever two years prior so it had special meaning) even if I can’t go back again.
Yes, now that you mention it, trail racing can be dicey. Races get canceled due to weather, fires, or they get rerouted. I’m not the first person to be disappointed by it! That birthday race does sound particularly stressful since you had to travel to get there. Also- you’re making me realize that I’m lucky this race was canceled now, as opposed to a week before. Things could definitely be worse!
That’s a bummer. I’m sure your scheming will turn up a new plan but this one was such a perfect choice.
Thank you Sak! I appreciate it.
Argh. That stinks, Jenny. I know you were so excited to repeat this race and it has such special meaning for you… and it’s close! I wish I had some solutions, but neither live in Florida OR do any ultra running.
You could come up to Nova Scotia next October and run the ultra in my little town. It’s not very exciting, but I can almost guarantee the weather will be much cooler than Florida in October 🙂
My kids both went back to school today and that feels… amazing!
Hooray for BTS!!! And… I would love to run an ultra in Nova Scotia in the fall. I think it would be VERY exciting! Maybe one year…
That is a HUGE bummer! I am so sorry! I hope that you can find another race that isn’t too far of a drive. I’d probably let go of the “around your birthday” thing out of all the requirements. I know that is very fun but that makes finding a race extra challenging!
September has been good so far! The kids are up north at my parents so we are enjoying a quiet week at home. We haven’t done anything out of the ordinary besides Phil joining me for a OTF class on Tuesday night which was really fun! I go to my parents tomorrow for the weekend and will get to see my younger sister and her fam as they fly in Saturday afternoon to spend the week with my parents.
It sounds like September is off to a great start for you. And you’re right… trying to find a race on my birthday weekend just isn’t going to happen. I have to give up that part of it.
Oh, that’s a bummer. I hope you find a new race to do instead.
Sorry that they cancelled this race that you were so looking forward to. That stinks. I hope you find something to fill the void – something that will be exciting, maybe in a different way -?
My September is going well. I’m into a decent daycare routine. All the kids are in school (at long last), and I’ve unearthed a binder full of the letters I wrote to my folks during my year abroad. My dad gave them to me, each in their own protective sleeve, probably like 5-10 years ago. I stored them in a bin and forgot about them. I cracked it open a few days ago and I’m finding them very entertaining. The heat here has been insane – record breaking for Sept. I believe. I think it goes back to normal hot this weekend.
OH NO! To lose a unicorn of a race, one that you were looking forward to, is disappointing for sure. I’m so sorry.
Oh, what a bummer! I’m so sorry! I am so glad that you got to run it last year on your birthday, not even knowing it would be the last one!
Oh bummer!!!! I am so sorry they cancelled the race.
September is two words: drowning and overwhelm…
Ugh, that really sucks, Jenny. I know how much this race has meant to you, and to find an ultra that’s not only close to where you live AND on/around your birthday? A unicorn of a race, for sure! It makes sense for why they canceled the race, but it’s still sucky.
September has been… fine. The end of August was really hard and things are slowly improving. Decorating for fall has been helpful!
Ah, dang it… that’s a real bummer, Jenny. I absolutely understand that this was the PERFECT race for you… I am partial to “local” races myself (so much easier than having to deal with travel/lodging, etc.) and it’s super-disappointing when a race that you loved is not going to be put on because of lack of volunteers. 🙁 I hope you find a different race that excites you.