Conroe Courier Column for September 30
(This column will be edited - as I thought the meat of the story was the fact that word got out indicating that the race would be postponed and that some entities were still saying that it was NOT going to be postponed - and is being held for publication on Wednesday, October 1. The latter is disingenous and self-serving because they don't know. Only Ed Chance does. The official word should be is that: We don't know for sure.)
Just when the Parks and Recreation Department of the Community Associations of The Woodlands thought all of the damage from Hurricane Ike was over two weeks ago, along came a virtual storm that threatened its own bit of damage.
Word broke online on Friday through a pair of websites – the Market Street in The Woodlands’ official website and woodlandsonline.com – that the third annual Ten For Texas 10-mile race, scheduled for Saturday, October 18, had been postponed.
The woodlandsonline.com entry, which was removed late Monday morning by its editor Chris Elmi, had Mary Connell, the Director of Community Relations for the Community Associations, stating the “Ten For Texas race on October 18 has been postponed and no make up date has been assigned yet. We will update as soon as we find out any further information.”
Connell, the Community Associations’ Director of Community Relations, said Monday morning via e-mail that it was news to her.
“This is the first that I’ve heard about a postponement,” she said.
It also came as quite a shock to race director Willie Fowlkes.
Elmi said his site received information about the event’s postponement from an e-mail address associated to Market Street’s Concierge at 1:47 p.m. Friday afternoon, but said that they should have confirmed with race officials of the postponement.
And while the Community Associations reported Thursday in a press release on its website that there had been no change in the event, Fowlkes was learning that changes would have to be made to the course.
He said Saturday that the race’s original course, which has been used the past two years, was likely not to have been approved by the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Office on Thursday due to traffic management and safety issues resulting from Hurricane Ike. (The assistant sports editor was going to confirm with Chance on Tuesday if this is the case.)
The existing current course has runners, after circling Market Street and leaving the area via Grogan’s Mill, heading west on Lake Woodlands Parkway to Cochran’s Crossing before returning via Lake Woodlands Drive.
“I had expressed concern about the route and highly recommended that they postpone the race,” said Precinct 3 County Commissioner Ed Chance, who yesterday confirmed meeting with Fowlkes last week. “There are definitely safety issues with debris around The Woodlands area.”
Chance, who says he’ll work with the event any way he can, reports that half of his precinct had been cleared to date of debris.
“John Powers, Mike Lucas of Luke’s Locker, Chris Nunes and myself met on Friday and came up with an alternative route,” said Fowlkes.
Luke’s Locker is a co-producer of the event with the Community Associations’ Parks and Recreation Department, which is directed by Nunes. Powers is the assistant general manager for Community Services with the Community Associations.
Fowlkes, though, was hoping for quick approval of the alternate course by the Commissioner’s Office -- and for good reason.
With its return to the racing scene two years ago, a large portion of last year’s record 1,112 finishers incorporated the event into their mileage buildup for January’s Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Half Marathon.
A postponement of the race to a November date would likely decrease participation because runners would already be testing themselves both in training – and in other races - at longer distances.
One of those races being the Koala Health and Wellness Centers / Luke’s Locker Houston Half Marathon in downtown Houston on Sunday, October 26.
The most expedient decision, though, regarding potential postponement greatly serves the running community as a whole as it gives runners an opportunity to register for alternative events the preceding weekend.
The Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville hosts the 30th annual Huntsville Half Marathon on Saturday, October 11 while the University of Houston-Clear Lake is the starting and finishing location for the United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday, October 12.
That 10-Miler is part of the Houston Area Road Runners Association’s Fall Series.
NIKE SOUTH – One event that will definitely go on as planned is Friday evening’s Open 5K cross country race during the Nike South Invitational at Bear Branch Sports Park.
The event, which will benefit The Woodlands Running Club Scholarship Fund, costs $10 will begin at 7:00 p.m. with registration getting underway at 5:30 p.m.
The Woodlands Running Club is inviting all greater Houston area clubs to a “Running Club Team Challenge” with awards being given to the top 25 individual performances in addition to the top men’s and women’s team as well as the club with the most participants.
Jon Walk covers running locally and throughout Texas and the Southwest. He can be reached at walksports@aol.com.
Just when the Parks and Recreation Department of the Community Associations of The Woodlands thought all of the damage from Hurricane Ike was over two weeks ago, along came a virtual storm that threatened its own bit of damage.
Word broke online on Friday through a pair of websites – the Market Street in The Woodlands’ official website and woodlandsonline.com – that the third annual Ten For Texas 10-mile race, scheduled for Saturday, October 18, had been postponed.
The woodlandsonline.com entry, which was removed late Monday morning by its editor Chris Elmi, had Mary Connell, the Director of Community Relations for the Community Associations, stating the “Ten For Texas race on October 18 has been postponed and no make up date has been assigned yet. We will update as soon as we find out any further information.”
Connell, the Community Associations’ Director of Community Relations, said Monday morning via e-mail that it was news to her.
“This is the first that I’ve heard about a postponement,” she said.
It also came as quite a shock to race director Willie Fowlkes.
Elmi said his site received information about the event’s postponement from an e-mail address associated to Market Street’s Concierge at 1:47 p.m. Friday afternoon, but said that they should have confirmed with race officials of the postponement.
And while the Community Associations reported Thursday in a press release on its website that there had been no change in the event, Fowlkes was learning that changes would have to be made to the course.
He said Saturday that the race’s original course, which has been used the past two years, was likely not to have been approved by the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Office on Thursday due to traffic management and safety issues resulting from Hurricane Ike. (The assistant sports editor was going to confirm with Chance on Tuesday if this is the case.)
The existing current course has runners, after circling Market Street and leaving the area via Grogan’s Mill, heading west on Lake Woodlands Parkway to Cochran’s Crossing before returning via Lake Woodlands Drive.
“I had expressed concern about the route and highly recommended that they postpone the race,” said Precinct 3 County Commissioner Ed Chance, who yesterday confirmed meeting with Fowlkes last week. “There are definitely safety issues with debris around The Woodlands area.”
Chance, who says he’ll work with the event any way he can, reports that half of his precinct had been cleared to date of debris.
“John Powers, Mike Lucas of Luke’s Locker, Chris Nunes and myself met on Friday and came up with an alternative route,” said Fowlkes.
Luke’s Locker is a co-producer of the event with the Community Associations’ Parks and Recreation Department, which is directed by Nunes. Powers is the assistant general manager for Community Services with the Community Associations.
Fowlkes, though, was hoping for quick approval of the alternate course by the Commissioner’s Office -- and for good reason.
With its return to the racing scene two years ago, a large portion of last year’s record 1,112 finishers incorporated the event into their mileage buildup for January’s Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Half Marathon.
A postponement of the race to a November date would likely decrease participation because runners would already be testing themselves both in training – and in other races - at longer distances.
One of those races being the Koala Health and Wellness Centers / Luke’s Locker Houston Half Marathon in downtown Houston on Sunday, October 26.
The most expedient decision, though, regarding potential postponement greatly serves the running community as a whole as it gives runners an opportunity to register for alternative events the preceding weekend.
The Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville hosts the 30th annual Huntsville Half Marathon on Saturday, October 11 while the University of Houston-Clear Lake is the starting and finishing location for the United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday, October 12.
That 10-Miler is part of the Houston Area Road Runners Association’s Fall Series.
NIKE SOUTH – One event that will definitely go on as planned is Friday evening’s Open 5K cross country race during the Nike South Invitational at Bear Branch Sports Park.
The event, which will benefit The Woodlands Running Club Scholarship Fund, costs $10 will begin at 7:00 p.m. with registration getting underway at 5:30 p.m.
The Woodlands Running Club is inviting all greater Houston area clubs to a “Running Club Team Challenge” with awards being given to the top 25 individual performances in addition to the top men’s and women’s team as well as the club with the most participants.
Jon Walk covers running locally and throughout Texas and the Southwest. He can be reached at walksports@aol.com.
posted by WalkSports.com | 8:29 AM
2 Comments:
The new date makes no sense. Since the race *had* to be moved, a post-marathon winter race would have drawn more attendance.
It still fits in a Houston half marathon training schedule for January as it stands; however, they're not thinking as a running organization and how it all fits into the greater community though.
If they'd ask though, we'd communicate.
Jon
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