Quarryman Challenge Won't Be Rescheduled, Discount Offered for 2013

Organizers of Lemont's annual Advocate Good Samaritan Quarryman Challenge have decided not to reschedule the race——but will offer a discounted entry fee next year.

In an email to all 2012 participants Tuesday, the Quarryman Race Committee said it was determined that rescheduling the annual 10-mile and 5K races would be too difficult for volunteers and the .

"We determined that the logistics would have been very difficult or impossible to secure the necessary official and volunteer support in any reasonable amount of time and on a date that worked for the Village and the established Chicago area race calendar," the email stated.

In an , organizers said running races "are almost never re-run after a weather cancelation for numerous reasons related to cost, permits, street closures and logistics.

"The race already incurred all expenses related to the event including the cost of the timing company, police, public works, permits, etc., and it would be very costly to re-run the event. It also would be logistically very difficult to round up the more than 200 volunteers we have and the police from multiple communities, especially on any short notice," the email stated.  

Instead, the committee has decided to offer a "significantly discounted (up to 50 percent)" entry fee to the 2013 event for all individuals registered this year. The exact discount will be determined once organizers prepare to open registration for next year.

The Quarryman Challenge was originally scheduled for the morning of May 12, but was canceled by police and public safety officials due to an imminent threat of lightning in the area.

Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy, who was was tracking the weather from , said that although there was a gap between storms, there would have only been a 20-minute window to hold the race before there was another significant threat of lightning.

Police ultimately decided to shut down the Quarryman Challenge "to ensure the racers' safety based on the best available data regarding current and likely weather conditions," according to race organizers.

"After the decision was made, it continued to rain, although the lighting did subside. However, there was no way to reliably predict that," . "It was a difficult decision, but the safety of the runners was our top concern. The simple fact is we would rather have a few disappointed racers than make a decision that put the health or life of our racers at risk."

Runners who did not return their timing chips after the cancellation was announced are asked to mail them to "The End Result" at 3426 Towne Pointe Drive in Bettendorf, IA (52722).

For more information on the Quarryman Challenge, visit www.quarrymanchallenge.com.

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