Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Date: February 13, 2010
Placing: Cancelled
Photos
Results (prior years): Click Here

I've always loved irony. It's as if life is trying to make a cheesy pun and then going "Do you get it?" Yeah, I got it. We act like it's stupid but inside...we always laugh a little. The Myrtle Beach Non-Half Marathon was like that for me. I'm sure a few people may have laughed more than me - and a lot more probably didn't even laugh a little inside, but their situation was probably a bit less ironic (irony is in the eyes of the beholder).

If you haven't read this report header thoroughly - or heard it online or through friends yet - the race was cancelled. The race at the beach was cancelled because of snow. The race at the beach was cancelled because of snow. The race AT THE BEACH was cancelled because of SNOW. That in itself carries a weightly irony but let me make it a bit more personal. Over the past 3 years, I've told a good many friends that they should 'follow me' to marathons and half-marathons becuase I have an uncanny knack for having the most perfect weather. For instance, I did the Boston marathon in 2006. The years leading up to - and following - that year were plagued with weather problems; cold rain, extreme heat, gale-force winds. Not in 2006. Low 50's and sunny all day. Perfect running weather. This past Fall, that exact same weather was duplicated at the Marine Corps Marathon and the Virginia Beach Half Marathon (both attended by yours truly). The list goes on. Oh yeah, follow me and Mother Nature is your friend.

I also passed on a friend's invitation to join them NEXT week at a half marathon in Jacksonville. Janis and I have never been fans of large events but I have to do them every once in a while and for this half marathon I decided that Myrtle Beach would be a more 'prestigious' half than Jacksonville - and it would carry some weight in the SC Runner of the Year rankings for 2010. I'm guessing Jacksonville will be in the low 50's and sunny next week.

And the 'piece de resistance'? I am known for my unforgiving attitude towards the weather people around here. I beleive it's their goal to over-sensationalize a pending snowstorm. And when their forecast for 3-5" of blinding snow materializes as barely a freezing trickle, I simply shake my head. As a numbers guy, I like to say that they will predict snow 10 times a year...and be right once. The REALLY funny thing about this past weekend is that we have had multiple forecasts that have fallen short in the past month or two, but for the first time all season nobody was in our face proclaiming snow and BAM! There it was. Across the entire state.

I knew a lot of people who were planning on doing this event and was looking forward to seeing them out on the course. Janis and I arrived Friday afternoon and made our way to the Expo to pick up my race packet. I had only recently found out that the race was slated to start at 6:30 in the morning. It's not even light at 6:30! If I had known that - coupled with the fact that the race course would not be completely closed to traffic - I could easily have surmised that the people of the city didn't really want us there in the first place. I mean really - it's a beach town in February for goodness sake; it's not like we are going to block hoards of beachgoers ready to spend their money on surfboards and swimwear. It was almost a slap in the face that they were announcing the start had been moved to 7am...but I would've taken 6:32 if they had offered it.

We heard talk of a meeting with city officials to take place at 10pm - and that they would make any change announcements after that. Janis and I spent a quiet evening in the hotel; taking advantage of the pasta buffet. I went to sleep at 9:30 fully expecting to race in the morning, albeit a little later than 7am. When my alarm announced that it was 5:30 the next morning, I fired up the laptop while getting dressed. Janis had turned on the TV and almost immediately told me not to bother getting ready...the TV was flashing that the race had been cancelled. If I have my facts correct, the race promoters were prepared to move forward but the city cited 'safety concerns'. I logged into Facebook to see a most unusual trail of postings from my other running friends who were there from the race. Apparently, several of them had stayed up to hear the verdict; after which time they descended into a drinking and partying frenzy.

The scene in the hotel parking lot on 'non-race' morning. Those poor bikes - somebody call child protective services...

There had been about 5+ inches of snow that fell overnight as evidenced by the roof of my car but Janis and I headed out for breakfast about 8am. We determined at that time that the roads were completely safe - at least they were safe from the threat of ice on the roads. As for them actually being safe?...read on.

Hmmm...I'd be at mile 10 right about now instead of eating this omelet if the race hadn't been cancelled

As we drove 'into town' to eat, a strange phenomenon began to occur. It started out slow, but stared to grow. 2 runners...8 runners...10 runners. Runners, runners, runners. I felt like I was in one of those movies where the underdogs just got their pep talk before rushing in to attack the enemy...or for those of you that are a little older...the scene from Planet of the Apes where Caesar shouts, "Now! Fight like apes!". It was unexpectedly inspiring. As I looked out the window of the Friendly's restaurant on the strip - eating my omelet - hoards of runners were passing in groups as little as 1 and as big as 15. Some were even wearing their race numbers. My brain said "that's crazy" but I couldn't help feeling like a kid sitting in time out. I wolfed down my breakfast and announced to Janis, "uh, I'm going to get the hell out there and run". It was invigorating, surrounded by snow and runners - both of which had taken over the city. The sun was out and the temps were great. I didn't want to make Janis wait too long so I opted to do 10 miles at near race pace. When traffic allowed it, I (and hundreds of my friends) ran down the road. When necessary, the sidewalk. It was like one huge AA meeting for obsessed runners. Each one understanding how the other felt and offering up friendly words. Some poeple even drove around the course offering food and water from their own vehicles. The truest irony of all was that hundreds - maybe thousands - of runners were taking to the course; all at different times and some in the opposite direction...and the streets weren't even partially closed! What they had succeeded in doing was creating a MUCH larger safety issue by NOT letting the race go on. The only difference is that the city had absolved itself from responsibility.

Those cones aren't marking the course, they are marking a construction area. Make no mistake, the roads are wide open...and the runners have taken over

I finished my 10-mile run by crossing the original 'finish line', where several race personnel stood by and handed out medals to those who would take them for the audacity to run a 'non-existent' race. I laughed hard as I crossed the imaginary finish line and two people made the phoney, high-pitched 'beep' that we are all so used to hearing as our chips typically cross the finishing mat. My 6:01 pace made me even more happy that I had ventured out.

For me, I was more disappointed that I wasted a vacation day, money for a hotel, etc. than the fact that the race was cancelled. For me, it is just one of 30+ races I will do for the year and I pretty much did my normal training leading up to the race. Others were not so forgiving - and that's understandable. Had this been my first half or full marathon, I would have been much more upset. Or if I had trained specifically for this race, I would have begrudged the city more.

Waiting for a bus that will never come

One last note: you might want to reconsider following me to any half or full marathons in the future...

Race Notes:
* I met a guy who flew in from Michigan; he was not real thrilled to find out that the same conditions he had been training in for months would be considered 'unsafe' here in SC
* Thanks to Janis for being such a good sport. Neither of us are beach lovers and this didn't make it any better for her (although she DID get her photo of snow on the beach)

Next Up: The Green Valley 10-miler and the Reedy River 10k...