What about a delay of 5 or 6 hours or 24 hours (I know this wouldn't have worked for some, but if they'd had know in advance, perhaps it would have)? Seems like there could be contingency plans made in advance and communicated to participants so that they could arrange their travel plans around those plans in case they need to be executed.
Just really, really stinks to come all that way for a swim, spend all that time and money to get there, do all the training to be prepared and then come home having not done it. Even a delay to the afternoon would have allowed for the swim to go off safely. As would have a 24 hour delay.
A delayed race would have been great, sure. But I can absolutely see how that's not always possible, especially in a situation like Chicago where you've got to use a paid lifeguard staff (as opposed to volunteer kayakers) and have permits that run out after a certain time. The organizers were clear in their FAQ that they had the water for a limited time. There's a reason they specify that everyone will be pulled out of the water at 11:00am, period, even in the best of situations. Everything's a little more complicated in a big city, after all. And while just collecting the money to pay the lifeguards, etc. for the rest of the day is great in theory, there are so many pieces of the puzzle that would have to still be available in the afternoon, too, that I'd be shocked if that was actually possible to make happen on the scale of a race that size.
I felt like the multiple emails leading up to the day did a very good job of letting us know that cancellation was a possibility. Yes, I'm disappointed and yes, I'm out some money, but them's the breaks sometimes in a sport that depends on mother nature. And yes, this was my big event for the season, the goal I trained for all summer. I was really upset not to be able to race. But I'm damn proud of the gains I made training for it, and not swimming the race doesn't take them away.
What about a delay of 5 or 6 hours or 24 hours (I know this wouldn't have worked for some, but if they'd had know in advance, perhaps it would have)? Seems like there could be contingency plans made in advance and communicated to participants so that they could arrange their travel plans around those plans in case they need to be executed.
Just really, really stinks to come all that way for a swim, spend all that time and money to get there, do all the training to be prepared and then come home having not done it. Even a delay to the afternoon would have allowed for the swim to go off safely. As would have a 24 hour delay.
A delayed race would have been great, sure. But I can absolutely see how that's not always possible, especially in a situation like Chicago where you've got to use a paid lifeguard staff (as opposed to volunteer kayakers) and have permits that run out after a certain time. The organizers were clear in their FAQ that they had the water for a limited time. There's a reason they specify that everyone will be pulled out of the water at 11:00am, period, even in the best of situations. Everything's a little more complicated in a big city, after all. And while just collecting the money to pay the lifeguards, etc. for the rest of the day is great in theory, there are so many pieces of the puzzle that would have to still be available in the afternoon, too, that I'd be shocked if that was actually possible to make happen on the scale of a race that size.
I felt like the multiple emails leading up to the day did a very good job of letting us know that cancellation was a possibility. Yes, I'm disappointed and yes, I'm out some money, but them's the breaks sometimes in a sport that depends on mother nature. And yes, this was my big event for the season, the goal I trained for all summer. I was really upset not to be able to race. But I'm damn proud of the gains I made training for it, and not swimming the race doesn't take them away.
