The federal government shut down took effect today October 1, 2013.
The shutdown impacts many people and it also will impact runners. While that impact may be trivial in comparison to the overall impact it is still significant for those who may have been training for an upcoming event.
The Jersey Shore Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, October 6, 2013. The race takes place at Gateway National Park in Sandy Hook, N.J.. The park is a National Park and due to the “shut down” it is closed.
According to Isabel Meldrum, the Race Director of the Shore Athletic Club, which has been staging the event for 40 years “If the Government reopens by Friday we will have the race on Sunday October 6, 2013. If the Government is still shutdown, we have to cancel the race.”
The organizers also indicate that In the event of a shut down and cancellation of the race, runners will be able to pick up their event shirts at McLoone’s on Route 36 in Sea Bright starting at 7:00 a.m. or defer their entry until 2014.
The event is a popular one attracting over a thousand runners in the half marathon and several hundred in the accompanying 5k every year.
Runners can get updates on the Jersey Shore Half Marathon web site. Here is the official release from the Shore Athletic Club.
Hopefully, the park will open this weekend. If the race is cancelled runners who are looking for a half marathon at the shore may want to consider the Seaside Half Marathon on October 20, 2013. That event was also impacted by the fire on the boardwalk there but the organizers are working diligently to provide an alternate course and meeting location for the event.
