Consulting a Publicity Professional When Making a Tough Call

October 2, 2023 Michelle Rupp

Twin Cities Marathon - Canceled 2 hours before race start. Good or bad for publicity?

We are told to run our race. What happens when that gets denied?

As a marathon runner who trains in the heat of the deep south (yes our 5a runs often are at 81, 82 degrees in July/August with heat indices well into the 90s) hearing the news of canceling any race leaves a pit in my stomach. The idea that a ‘northern’ race would cancel for heat left me scratching my head. As a degreed Meteorologist, I wondered what changed so dramatically overnight in the forecast that warranted an abrupt and immediate cancellation?

So I did what any journalist would do, I went digging. Please understand this perspective is through the lens of a runner, a meteorologist, a former journalist and a business owner who specializes in publicity for races and small businesses.

My initial reaction was through the lens of a marathoner.

The race was scheduled to start at 8 am CST. Cancellation posts hit social media at 6 am CST.

Two hours before the race. An example of NOT good publicity.

“What were they thinking making this call? “ Thousands traveled to the area to participate. Those individuals spent their summer training in ghastly hot temperatures, learning how to hydrate and fuel on 20 mile runs and most importantly how to listen to their bodies. Those same runners spend hard earned money on gas, hotels, plane tickets, vacation days only to be alerted a couple hours before the race - it was all for nothing. All the training, in difficult conditions (life, family, work, weather conditions) for nothing.

You see when a person is trained for 26. 2, it’s not like they can just go do another one the following weekend. Races sell out weeks and months in advance.

Dreams of running their first marathon. Gone.

Dreams of running a milestone marathon. Gone.

Dreams of qualifying for Boston at this race. Gone.

The forecast for the area was for record heat, even a few days ahead of the race. Perhaps race officials might have considered a week or so out to have a contingency plan. What would they do if the forecast hadn’t changed, say by Wednesday? The race was on Sunday. Might there have been an opportunity to start the race earlier to minimize runners being out in the hottest part of the day? How about offering an additional water stop or area where wet wash cloths were available for those overheated? At best, maybe there was an alternative solution.

Here is why having a PR professional to consult in situations that could become a crisis is so very important.

In an effort to ‘keep runners safe’ race officials created a firestorm with how this was communicated. They could not win regardless of the call they made.

Option one

Had the race gone off as planned and runners fell ill there would be plenty of backlash for months.

Option two

Cancel the race, still take the backlash but now understand some of those thousands of runners will never return to their town to run that race. Let alone sharing their comments and complaints amongst friends, family, fellow runners and anyone who would listen.

This is why I strongly recommend having a PR pro handle a potential crisis or at least be available for counsel.

What would I have advised?

Some of my recommendations would have included:

Communicate and communicate often. Start the narrative days in advance. If the forecast 7 days out is for record heat, inform all runners via email, social media, website, race app, YouTube, local news to alert runners of potential changes.
Explore any and all alternatives including signing waivers at packet pickup, not holding the race or any sponsors libel. A ‘run at your own risk’ waiver, if you will.
Make the call well before two hours before the race begins. Most runners were likely walking, driving or otherwise en route to the start line by this time.
Upon making the call to cancel, offer something. A deferment to next year's race goes a long way.
The hard advice to give would be - “let the race go on as planned’. Runners are adults. They know what they can handle. Runners also are known for not quitting. Canceling a race is quitting the race.

This is the hardest part for me. As a runner, I’ve trained my body not to quit, which includes fortifying my mental toughness. After 18 marathons, one 50k (31 miles) and countless half marathons, I know how to persevere in any condition. Extreme weather included. I also know how to listen to my body and stop when it screams stop!! I know what I can endure. So do other runners. Which is why many of them went on the course anyway and ran.

I’m bothered by the message this sent.

It’s okay to quit when life, marriage, business, sports, might get hard.

That goes against everything athletes stand for. Regardless of time, speed, runner, walker, wheelchair participant, you are an athlete and athletes don’t quit.

If you are a business owner of any kind consider having a trusted PR person you can consult before a major decision such as this. It can tarnish your business, its reputation, and take years to recover. Not all decisions are cut and dry. Having someone to advise you can make the road a bit less bumpy.

My heart goes out to the race directors who made this call and to the runners who were denied the chance to run this race in 2023.

No one likes the feeling of wandering aimlessly.

Memorable Results Media regularly comes alongside small businesses as a guide in supporting business owners craft their own roadmap. If this sounds like a great idea but you are at maximum capacity, drop me an email at michelle@memorableresultsmedia.com

I’d love to hear from you!