Jun. 13—INOLA — Rosalie Griffith didn’t take the situation lightly.
Despite facing a torrential downpour of rain and lightning in the area, the veteran race director made the difficult decision to proceed with the original start time for the 41st Annual Crazy Socks 8K Run on Saturday morning.
Griffith weighed several factors before reaching this determination, considering the immense effort invested in organizing the event and consulting with race timing service representatives.
“(We didn’t want to cancel) because of all the work that’s involved in putting the event on,” Griffith explained. “Talking with our race-timing service representative, he helped to make the decision because it was my decision on whether to go ahead or not. We have so many volunteers that participate, and everybody was here setting up and getting ready. Unless it was really bad, we didn’t want to cancel.”
One crucial aspect that influenced the decision was the frequency of lightning strikes.
Griffith engaged in discussions with I:40 Race Service to gauge the severity of the situation.
“The lightning strikes had to be pretty frequent (for us to cancel),” Griffith revealed. “I talked with the race service, and they’ve conducted so many, so he said it would be up to me whether we wanted to cancel that. Unless it was really frequent, we would not cancel. He suggested that we don’t cancel it unless that happened. We wanted to make sure that it was safe for everybody to run. I was concerned when I started hearing the thunder and it got darker and darker, but we saw a very few lightning strikes, so we decided to go along with it.
“We would have canceled it had it been too dangerous.”
Griffith also considered the possibility of postponing the event, but the logistical challenges of rescheduling were a significant factor in her decision.
Rescheduling an event involves coordinating various aspects, such as participant availability, volunteer schedules and timing service contracts, among other factors.
One of the primary concerns for Griffith was ensuring that the majority of the participants would be able to attend the rescheduled event.
Runners often plan their race calendar well in advance, and rescheduling could clash with their commitments to other races or personal obligations. It would have been difficult to find a new date that accommodated a significant number of participants who were initially registered for the Crazy Socks 8K Run.
Some participants may not have been able to return on the rescheduled date due to travel or other prior commitments, potentially leading to a decline in participation.
Additionally, rescheduling an event requires extensive coordination with volunteers.
Volunteers are a crucial part of any race, assisting with tasks such as registration, course setup, water stations, and crowd management. These dedicated individuals generously offer their time and energy to ensure the smooth execution of the event.
However, rescheduling may disrupt their availability, as they might have other commitments or limited availability on an alternate date. It would be challenging to gather the same dedicated volunteer team for a rescheduled event, potentially impacting the overall event experience.
The race director also had to consider the contracts and agreements with the timing service, which is typically booked well in advance. Rescheduling would have required renegotiating or potentially incurring additional costs to secure the services on a different date.
Considering these logistical challenges and the impact they would have on participant turnout, volunteer availability and timing service availability, Griffith ultimately made the decision to proceed with the original 7:30 a.m. start time of the Crazy Socks 8K Run.
By prioritizing participant safety and taking into account the opinions of those present at the event, the race director ensured that the race could continue as planned, providing a memorable experience for all involved.
“It was 7:30 or we would have to reschedule,” Griffith said. “That was my major concern. ‘OK, now if we cancel, when are we going to reschedule it?’ We all have different events that we constantly work at. Some volunteers may not be able to come back, and some may be able to, so we just wanted to be sure of the safety of everybody. Talking with everybody that had the experience in running and everything, the ones that were here, they wanted to go on with it. We had people here early in the morning, even before we set up, waiting to run.”
Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the decision to proceed with the race was made with the utmost consideration for the safety of the participants.
With the support of dedicated volunteers and the input of experienced individuals, the 41st Annual Crazy Socks 8K Run successfully commenced, allowing enthusiastic runners to pursue their passion and conquer the challenging course.
Among those who appreciated the decision was top overall female finisher Kayla Doss of Collinsville.
“I was excited because I like to run in the rain,” Doss said. “I wasn’t that scared at all. I just was hopeful that they wouldn’t delay it or cancel it. I didn’t mind running in it, actually.”