Home > Trail Running

The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship cancelled

Due to air quality concerns resulting from the Camp wildfire, the 2018 North Face Endurance Challenge has been cancelled this weekend. Photo: Pargol Lakhan

The 2018 North Face Endurance Challenge Championship, scheduled for Saturday, November 17 in the San Francisco Bay area, has been cancelled due to poor air quality from the surrounding wildfires. The event included a trail marathon, 50K and 50-mile (80K) championship race. The region has been experiencing low air quality from the Camp fire in Butte County, 260K northeast of the race site, which has now caused at least 48 deaths and displaced 52,000 people from their homes. (The fire also caused the cancellation of last weekend’s Monterey Bay Half Marathon.)

RELATED: Rob Krar wins The North Face Endurance Challenge

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqJQ6gphbGh/

The race has a cash prize of $30,000 USD. The organizers have decided to donate the prize money, prize clothing, and food and drinks to firefighting relief efforts. The North Face Endurance Challenge race organizers sent out the following email:

 

Greetings Runners, 

Due to the continued and forecasted unhealthy air quality levels in the Bay Area, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all events for the 2018 Endurance Challenge Championships this coming weekend. 

The safety of participants, volunteers, and spectators is our highest priority and we feel strongly that in these current and unpredictable conditions, we are making the right decision to best protect the health and safety of all individuals involved in this race. 

As a result of this cancellation, we will be offering participants the opportunity to defer their entry to any one of our five ECS race locations in 2019 including, D.C., New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin or California. In addition, we will give participants a discounted entry for them or a friend to enter a second ECS race of their choice from the list of locations above. Additional communications will be sent out to participants regarding deferrals and 2019 sign-ups the first week of December. 

We will also be donating the entire $30,000 event prize purse to Camp Fire Evacuation Relief Fund being facilitated by the North Valley Community Foundation to support fire relief efforts, as well as a donation of over 1,000 pieces of clothing to the Oroville Hope Center who are ensuring that victims of the fire receive clothing and basic needs. 

In addition, food and snacks from the event will be donated to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company who is currently providing meals to first responders and fire victims. 

Packet pick-up locations and hours will remain as scheduled but will be used for fire relief donation drop-offs that will be delivered to Oroville Hope Center over the weekend. More information on acceptable donation items and packet pick-up locations can be found here

For more ways to get involved and support fire relief efforts, please visit http://www.nvcf.org/fund/camp-fire-evacuation-relief-fund/ 

Thank you for your understanding and continued support during this time. 

All the best,
The North Face Endurance Challenge Team 

 

 

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget