Marathon plans go south

On Sept. 30, I received an email from the director of the small Mangrove Marathon in Cape Coral, Fla., informing its registrants that, due to a family illness, the race was cancelled.

And that was it.

Imagine my surprise - I have never heard of a marathon being cancelled!

Imagine my shock - But...what about all this training I have been doing?

Imagine my anger - I spent more than a thousand non-refundable dollars on plane tickets and a hotel room for my mom and me.  That money is now gone, down the drain.

Imagine my confusion - What the hell do I do now?

So I sent an email back to the director stating exactly those things, but after a day or two, I had a thought.

I am already resigned to going to Florida, I am already training to run a marathon, and I can not really change my plans - so I asked the director if I can take over.

And why not? It is not like I would be starting from scratch. Certain things should already be in place - the course is certified and the people are registered. Maybe I can simply pick up where she left off?

Unfortunately, things were in greater turmoil than I had suspected. Apparently, the director made the decision to give up the race long before she sent the email because she told me that a race-staging company had already been on board to take over, but they pulled out at the end of September.

Somehow, I was still undeterred. I called other race companies in Florida,  trying to find someone willing to take on a race that now seemed only a small fraction of the way to completion. I would need timers, awards, a start/finish line, clocks, volunteers to work Gatorade and water stations, and the all-important post-race food. And I would need it all in nine weeks (or less, because with every call I made, the clock was ticking).

It proved to be impossible. No company could do it and I could not do it by myself. It was over.

So I am left with a four-day trip with my mom to Cape Coral, Florida, to visit my grandfather, aunt and cousin, and that is still something to which I can look forward.

Oh, and before the website for the marathon was removed, I saved a copy of the marathon course route, so I am thinking of running it anyway. Why not? It would still make for a great long run!