1,500 still on course ‘rerouted’

Thousands of runners were waiting at the starting line of the 12th Little Rock Marathon, just before 8 a.m.’s scheduled sendoff, when race organizers began passing out clear trash bags to protect the runners from an array of elements the National Weather Service was predicting they might encounter.

The bags helped protect runners from a whipping

Continued from Page 1W north wind and a drizzle that gradually turned into a cold rain, but they were no match for an onrushing thunderstorm, with lightning, that posed a threat to about 1,500 runners still on the course at 11:30 a.m., about an hour after male winner Mark Chepses and female winner Leah Thorvilson crossed the finish line.

Runners who had yet to complete 13 miles were taken to Chester Street, then to La Harpe Boulevard, where they were given the option to finish the rest of the course.

Runners closer to the finish had the option of getting on buses parked at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Cantrell Road, near the 23-mile mark, and being dropped off on La Harpe, where they could cross the finish line.

Gina Pharis, the marathon’s co-executive director, said officials had been monitoring radar all morning and were in contact with the National Weather Service about incoming storms. Pharis said she was told there were 70 lightning strikes in surrounding areas, which made them decide to “reroute” the runners.

Some of the runners, who were closer to the finish, were allowed to “pick up their pace and finish on their own,” Pharis said.

“We had to be pro-active to make the move to be playing on the safe side,” Pharis said, “to protect all the volunteers we had out there and all the athletes.”

Some runners, especially those intent on finishing on their own, expressed confusion afterward, unsure if the race had been “rerouted” or cancelled.

Maureen Johnson said she was running along Rebsamen Park Road at about the 22-mile mark when she heard volunteers announcing through megaphones that the race had been canceled.

“What’s the point of stopping?” said Johnson, of Springfield, Va., who eventually finished in 4:02.43. “We wanted our medals, we wanted to finish the race.”

John McGrimley, of Little Rock, said he was told the same thing as he raced on the same stretch of Rebsamen Park Road, while Diana Yee, of San Francisco, wondered afterward if her time of 4:04:35 would be recognized.

“They were saying it’s over,” Yee said. “I did not run no frickin’ 22 miles for them to pull me off. I did not come all this way for a DNF.”

There was no official declaration to stop the race at 11:30, Pharis said, but it’s possible some of the volunteers might have misunderstood the overall plan.

“It could have been miscommunication,” she said. “It was a reroute, and to take them all down certain roads to bring them in to finish.”

Pharis said all times will be counted, including those who were “rerouted.”

“I think it’s going to look like they all PR’d today,” Pharis said. “They will still get their time.”