by Larry EderAnother price of neither political party seeming to be able to play well with the other is the Government Shutdown fiasco. As the Democrats and Republications play chicken with people’s jobs and lives, there is the definite possibility that the federal government could shut down around April 10. If that happens, one of the issues will be the 2011 George Washington Parkway Classic, which runs much of its course on federal property. No government services, no road race: it is that simple!
To learn a bit more about how the federal shutdown would shut down this very popular event, please read the following:http://www.expressnightout.
The government shutdown is a huge issue, and a canceled road race pails in comparison to the effect of such a shutdown. However, the road race, in many ways, is a microcosm of our society. A road race is a moving city, a living breathing entity, where, fast or slow, the runners and walkers are doing something to better themselves. The logistics of a road race are complicated. When one plans a road race, one tries to predict all situations-government shutdowns do not normally come into the planning. For Race Director Kathy Dalby, this is really out of her control.
After that, you can read the note posted on the race site by Race Director Kathy Dalby, which I posted below.
UPDATE – APRIL 4, 2011 6:00PM We are continuing to monitor Please stay tuned for details. |
Release – March 31, 2011
Letter from the Race Director to
Participants and Volunteers of the George Washington Parkway Classic,
regarding Contingencies for Federal Government Shut Down:
DEAR PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS:
Welcome to the 27th running of the
George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Mile & 5K. We thank you for
your continued support of this event and are looking forward to a great
race next week.
IMPACT OF POSSIBLE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN ON PARKWAY CLASSIC
We are following closely the
current federal budget situation and the possible federal government
shut down should Congress not come to a resolution by midnight, April 8,
2011.
If the federal government does shut
down, it is very possible that the Parkway Classic will not be able to
run on April 10, 2011 as originally scheduled. The Parkway Classic is
run primarily on roads maintained by and under the direction of the
federal National Park Service (NPS), an agency that would be closed
should the government shut down. But please do not worry; we do have a
contingency plan.
THE CONTINGENCY PLAN
We have been working extremely
close with our legislative and municipal partners on contingency plans
for the event should a government shut down occur and we are unable to
secure an exemption to run on April 10.
Our team has been working nonstop
on this issue and we have secured an alternate date (“rain” date) of May
1, 2011 at 8:00am for the running of the race in its entirety in the
unlikely event the government does shut down and we do not secure an
exemption to run on April 10.
At this point in time, we are still running the race on April 10.
It is our belief, and that of our
advisors, that there will be Congressional resolution and a shut down
will be avoided. However, considering the timing of the budget deadline,
political climate, and our desire for transparency, we are
communicating our contingency plan to our runners and volunteers so you
are able to plan and prepare should we need to trigger the rain date and
move the race to May 1, 2011.
OUR COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
We will continue to update you on
the situation via the website and via e-mail communication. You can
expect to have website updates every few days and an e-mail confirming
our plans once we receive final confirmation from our municipal
partners.
Please continue to check our
website and your e-mails for official word from the race, as it is
possible that we may not be able to make a final decision until the last
possible moment, which could be as late as 12:01am, April 9, 2011. We
do expect, however, that we will receive confirmation by mid-next week
and we will communicate to you as soon as we have information.
At this point, we are moving
forward with “business as usual” and preparing for an event on April 10.
We encourage you to pick up your packets and prepare as you would,
should you be racing on April 10. If there is a race date change, you
would simply use the items given to you at packet pick up.
Throughout this process, my top
priorities were, and are, our participants and our beneficiaries. It is
extremely important to me that the time and resources you invested into
your training for this event are put to the streets and we are able to
continue to raise funds for the kids of the Alexandria Boys & Girls
Club.
In closing, I would like to thank
the following individuals and agencies for their efforts and support:
the Office of Representative Jim Moran, City of Alexandria City Council
including Rob Krupicka and Paul Smedberg, City of Alexandria Police
Department and Parks Department, particularly Sgt. Joe Seskey and Jack
Broward, National Park Service, United States Park Police, Virginia
Department of Transportation, BAE Systems, especially Heather Hescheles,
Ben Klein, Justin Wilson, Bill Reifsnyder, my staff, our volunteers,
sponsors, vendors, and supporters.
I appreciate your understanding and support.
Good luck and we will see you at the race!
Sincerely,
Kathy Dalby
Managing Partner
Pacers Events
