I've got good news and bad news.
The good news: the Brooklyn Half is not alone in the calendar shenanigans.
The bad news: More calendar shifts for the half marathons
So, the Queens Half is now scheduled for Sept. 20, the same day as the Fifth Avenue Mile (you may actually be able to do both, depending on your speed and your transportation from Queens). Then again, why?
And the Nike Half? Pulled from the schedule for now (it'll be back - there's too much prestige involved here).
Facebook users pointed out both of these things on Wednesday -- whether or not you're a fan of Facebook, it seems right now that the best information about NYRR is coming from their Facebook group (though no responses yet from NYRR.)
No update yet on the Brooklyn Half. Nine weeks to go before the tentative date of May 30.
There's one possible upside here: While *racing* Queens, Grete and Staten Island on three out of four weekends is a mess, the fact that the second and last long NYRR training run was scheduled for Aug. 1 means that people looking for *training races* will have ample opportunity.
I'm hoping that somewhere, whether it's Facebook or in a local newspaper, NYRR will explain the difficulties it's facing in scheduling these races and why these moves. Just pulling them from the calendar or shifting them around: Not cool.
3 comments:
Yes, and since this is my first year racing/as a NYRR member, I'm kind of like..."What the heck? Is this like this every year???"
THIS IS MAKING ME NUTS! I really want to run all 5 halfs this year. I also want to plan my summer vacation.
DO NOT plan a vacation around NYRR's scheduling of these events. They've always been bad about keeping the dates for these outside-the-park races, because they and the permit gods realize too late that there are other events and religious observances which conflict. With the budget cuts this year, police overtime is even less likely to be authorized.
I'm starting to suspect that we're going to end up with a 4-laps-of-the-park Brooklyn Half and something similar in Flushing Meadow Park or Forest Park for Queens. (It could always be worse--they could do like the Sri Chinmoys and do that little mile course near the Tennis Center thirteen times.)
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