Last big marathons of 2013 cancelled due to ice storm

Both the Dallas and Memphis Marathons have been cancelled due to a severe winter storm that has blanketed much of the Southern U.S.

Dallas race organizers pulled the plug on Thursday as the combination of rain, snow and freezing cold winds crippled the city. The race officials for the Memphis St. Jude Marathon decided Friday night that for logistical and safety reasons their race wouldn’t go off either.

“We did it taking into consideration everybody’s safety. Safety being our number one priority,” CEO Rick Shadyac told local Memphis channel WMCTV. “There are about 7,800 of our fellow Memphians already without power, and I didn’t want to divert any resources from this great city away from those people that are people in need.”

The Memphis Marathon has become one of the biggest successes on the American road race circuit in the last decade. The race started in 2002 and has grown to more than 20,000 runners registered this year. Shadyac pointed out that 30 per cent of his volunteers wouldn’t be able to work the race due to the storm, and that after a tour of the course on Friday morning he knew it wouldn’t be possible to run a successful event.

The event has nevertheless raised more than $8 million for the St. Jude Hospital this year alone.

Both the Honolulu and California International Marathons are still a go for Sunday, capping off a big year in road racing in North America.
Action News 5 – Memphis, Tennessee