Fit Fun Mom

First and foremost, my heart goes out to all those affected by Hurricane Sandy. It’s hard for me to imagine the physical, emotional and financial toll the storm has taken.

NYC Marathon Cancellation and Donation Drive

I was pleased to see that the NYC Marathon resources and materials are being diverted to the recovery effort wherever possible, and that the New York Road Runners are leading a “Race to Recover” donation drive.

The Race to Recover charity drive explains:

NYRR, in partnership with the Rudin Family and the ING Foundation, has established the “Race to Recover” Marathon Fund to aid New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Over $2.6 million has been raised, including a $1 million donation by NYRR. We are asking you to join us by making a $26.20 donation, or whatever you can afford, to help bring recovery and hope to those communities and families most affected. Proceeds will go to Hurricane Sandy Relief, administered by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. You can also donate to the relief effort through NYRR’s fundraising platform, CrowdRise, which includes the American Red Cross and other charities. From your mobile phone, text “redcross” to 90999 to donate $10 through your wireless carrier.

I’ll be donating to the Red Cross through my husband’s employer’s matching program.

That said, my heart also goes out to the 47,000+ runners who were slated to run the marathon tomorrow, November 4. The ING NYC Marathon is such an iconic race and a difficult one to gain entry to. Furthermore, with my first marathon coming up on November 10, I know how hard those runners have trained to run the race and how disappointing it must be to miss it. Let’s keep in mind, it is possible for the runners to feel complete empathy and compassion for the people living and working in the hurricane-affected areas and yet at the same time feel the different yet still significant feelings of their own loss in light of the marathon cancellation.

Some Good News

Runners who are looking for an alternative to the canceled marathon have some options for racing a substitute marathon. The Santa Barbara International Marathon, scheduled for Saturday November 10, 2012, is offering a discount registration for registered NY Marathon participants. Email the race director for more details.

The Tucson Marathon is offering an $85 entry fee to its December 9th event. Enter the discount code NYC2012 when checking out and the organizers will donate $10 per entry to relief efforts in the New York/NJ area. Proof of NYC Marathon registration will be required at packet pickup.

ETA: SkinnyRunner and her readers shared some more discount registration opportunities: (1) The BCS Marathon on December 9 in Bryan/College Station, Texas is offering marathon and half marathon registration for just $25. (2) The Dallas Running Club provides a reduced registration fee of $60 for its half on November 4. (3) An article regarding the November 11th Malibu International Marathon says “MIM will offer early bird prices using the Malibu4NYC code and 25 percent of the proceeds from each race entry will go back to the AmeriCares Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.” (4) The Rock ‘n’ Roll series states, “Thus we would like to extend a 20% discount to any 2012 ING NYC Marathon entrant who would like to run either our Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon on Sunday, November 11 or our Zappos.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon on Sunday, December 2, and we will also make an additional matching 20% donation to Hurricane Sandy Relief from each entry.” (5) The Soldier Marathon on November 10 in Columbus, Georgia is offering FREE transferability of NYC Marathon registration.

Here’s a partial list of other fall marathons to investigate (whether or not they offer a registration discount).

How to Adjust Training for a Marathon Race Plan B

That’s all well and good you say, but you’ve already tapered for the NYC Marathon. How are you supposed to train for another race that is one, two, three or four weeks out from now? Coach Jenny Hadfield at Runner’s World magazine laid out four alternative marathon race plans just for you.

What do you think of the decision to cancel the NYC Marathon? Do you know of any other race registration discounts?