Despite ongoing storm recovery, Snickers Marathon to be run March 4

ALBANY — Although there were doubts in the days following the devastating Jan. 2 storm that left large sections of Albany littered with fallen debris, officials are moving forward with the annual Snickers Marathon through downtown Albany and expectations are high that it will be another success.

Set for March 4, this year’s Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon will be the 11th running of the event held in the Good Life City. Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director and marathon chief Rashelle Beasley says the race route, which runs through the storm-ravaged Rawson Circle area, is ready for runners.

“The January 2 tornado was the one that did severe damage on the route, so I’m not going to tell a lie; when we rode through there, even two weeks after, it was questionable in my mind,” said Beasley. “But you know, we could drive through by that time, so I felt confident after hearing reports from the city about hiring people to get the debris up.”

Because Albany’s signature road race is certified as a Boston Marathon qualifying race, Beasley said it was imperative that the route was cleaned up because there was no option of altering the course and still being able to draw the hundreds of runners who travel from all over the country and internationally to try and qualify for Boston.

“We can’t change the route because it’s Boston-certified,” Beasley said. “We would have to get USA Track and Field down here to re-certify something else, and we just didn’t have the time. So we had to push forward with planning and just have that faith that everything was going to be cleaned up and good to go.

“Obviously, there’s still some work that has to be done, but, you know, (we’re at) 17 days and counting, and I feel confident that things will be good.”

Beasley said it was also imperative that the race not be cancelled because so many runners have built this race into their annual schedules. If they were forced to run a different qualifying race, it would be hard to get them to return in future years.

“It would be devastating to cancel the race,” she said. “The trust factor that runners put into a race is important. It’s one thing to cancel a race due to a snowstorm or due to extreme conditions that you cannot help. When it comes to something like a tornado, where we can clean up the roads, we can do that. It puts trust in us that we will do whatever it takes to make sure our marathon goes on.”

Despite the insistence that the race will go on, Beasley said registration has dropped off a little from last year due to misinformation about the extent of the storm damage and the pace of recovery. Where the Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon drew nearly 1,500 for last year’s 10th anniversary race, this year organizers are shooting for 1,200 due to the fact that they’ve had to combat rumors.

“After the storm hit, our registrations dropped tremendously,” said Beasley. “Unfortunately, we had some locals post on our Facebook site that the roadways would not be cleared by race time, so we had to fight that battle and assure the runners that we would be open for business.”

Organizers are also sending out pictures of the storm damage and what the race route looks like in the aftermath, so that runners will be prepared for what they are going to encounter when they arrive. Beasley said because the marathon and half marathon routes both go through some of the hardest-hit areas of the community, they didn’t want runners thrown off by what they see.

“We will go out and take pictures of the route where the damage was done and send it out to our runners, just because a lot of our runners have run every year, or multiple years, and we don’t want it to slow them down when they come around the corner and see things missing, or half-trees and tarps all over houses and parts of houses missing, those types of things,” she said. “It’s a wow factor for us, so you can imagine what it would be like for somebody who either hasn’t paid attention to the news of hasn’t really followed the story, to see such devastation.”

Although a lot of effort has been put into preparing runners for what they might encounter, Beasley said her teams have also been trying to spread the message of what an important role the race plays in bringing the community together and connecting it to its race weekend visitors.

“It’s such an important weekend for Albany,” she said. “It’s one of the times of the year when the community really comes together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. It’s also a great time for us to showcase our warmth and hospitality and everything our community has to offer to outsiders who will hopefully want to return.

“One of the things that we immediately posted on our website was the video that the (Albany Area) Chamber (of Commerce) did letting people know that while we were devastated, this is a time for the city to come together and have something to cheer about. It’s one of the best times for our city, one of the best weekends of the year for our city. It’s a great time to celebrate.”

From a practical standpoint, Beasley said the marathon is also vitally important to the economic health of the community, as the out-of-town guests fill up area hotels, eat in area restaurants and shop in area stores, all of which benefits the entire population.

With the marathon having become such a huge event, Beasley said many area hotels now require a two-night minimum stay, which keeps guests in Albany longer and helps generate additional hotel/motel tax, which is important to any local government.

“A lot of the hotels are requiring two-night minimums now, just as they do with ASU (homecoming) weekend, so we’ve moved up to that point,” she said. “That gives us an extra boost on economic impact. You’re looking at a $700,000 economic impact as it relates to the marathon, which is really what we need right now.

“While the storms have boosted our economy, it has also cost the city some money. So that was another reason to ensure that this went on.”

As in past years, the March 4 marathon and half marathon will start behind the Albany Civic Center, and runners will head out at 7 a.m. They will be preceded by the crank chairs, four of which are registered so far, at 6:45 a.m.

Refueling stations with drinks and food for runners will be available along the entire route, again all manned by some of the nearly 1,200 volunteers who lend a hand each year.

Runners will finish in Riverfront Park below the CVB’s Bridge House Welcome Center, and event awards will be presented in various classes in both men’s and women’s divisions.

Beasley said, as in past years, the community is invited to come out and cheer runners on along the race route, as well as at the start and finish lines. Additionally, volunteers are still welcome. Volunteers can register with race organizers by contacting the CVB office at (229) 317-4760 or by visiting the www.visitalbanyga.com and www.albanymarathon.com websites.

Currently the entrance fee for the full marathon is $90 and $85 for the half. Both fees will go up $10 on March 1.

All marathon and half marathon participants will receive a goodie bag that includes a T-shirt and tickets to the Mardi Gras celebration, which will take place right around the corner from the Bridge House on Pine Avenue, the afternoon of the race. Volunteers will also receive a T-shirt and Mardi Gras tickets.