Monterey Bay Half Marathon – Deferral & Donation Options for 2018 Registered Participants
Dear race registrants,
Thank you for your patience and understanding following Saturday evening’s cancelation of the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, November 11th. As previously stated, winds shifted on Saturday afternoon, bringing smoke from the northeast to the Monterey Peninsula and resulting in unhealthy air quality. After consulting with our Medical Director and the National Weather Service and determining that air quality would remain in the “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” range on Sunday morning, we made the very difficult decision to cancel the race. The mission of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation is to promote health. The updated conditions forecast for race day did not suit the mission of our organization. We are touched by our registrants’ understanding and concern for those directly and dramatically affected by the Camp Fire still raging in northern California.
On Sunday morning, several thousand runners joined us in Custom House Plaza-Monteey State Historic Park for an early-morning gathering. Our partners, community members, and volunteers showed up to pass out shirts and medals, distribute food and drinks, and put on a positive event for our participants. Directly following the event, all leftover food was packed on a truck and driven to Butte County, where it was donated to displaced victims of the Camp Fire.
The Monterey Bay Half Marathon is produced by the Big Sur Marathon Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the health of the Monterey County community. We carry out this mission by providing grants to local groups who volunteer at our races throughout the year. This year, 66 volunteer groups were signed up to provide volunteer support for the Monterey Bay Half Marathon. We are happy to report that, while many of these volunteer groups were called off from their race-day jobs, all 66 organizations will still be granted the full funding they expected to receive from our foundation.
Many of you have been reaching out and offering suggestions for future event considerations, donations to fire relief, and other thoughtful options. We appreciate your patience and input over the last few days as our Governance Board and Staff worked to develop a comprehensive plan. All registered 2018 Monterey Bay Half Marathon participants are now eligible to choose one of the five following deferral or donation options:
- Defer my 2018 Half Marathon entry to the November 10, 2019 Monterey Bay Half Marathon
- Defer my 2018 Half Marathon entry to the November 15, 2020 Monterey Bay Half Marathon
- Defer my 2018 Half Marathon entry to the November 14, 2021 Monterey Bay Half Marathon
- Donate $75 of my entry fee to a non-profit agency supporting Northern California fire relief
- Donate $75 of my entry fee to Monterey County charities funded by the Big Sur Marathon Foundation
Registered runners are invited to make their selection from the above list beginning today, November 14, 2018, and ending on December 31, 2018. If you did not receive an email with the link to select your option, email sally@bsim.org.
Questions? Please visit our FAQ page for answers to common questions regarding the 2018 Monterey Bay Half Marathon cancellation.
Again, we thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
The Big Sur Marathon Foundation
