06/02/2013
The events of 2012, while largely out of our control, revealed a vulnerability that we hadn’t previously considered. In the months since then, we have reached out to a variety of officials in hope of eliminating the issues that stood in the way of us creating the best possible event for our racers and our sponsors. Unfortunately, trying to “change city hall” is a slow process. Because we still don’t feel that we have the autonomy to control our event to a level that would guard against a repeat of 2012, we regrettably have chosen not to hold the race in 2013.
We are committed to push forward with the city so that we can once again put on a world-class event, and we’re optimistic that by next year we will have resolved the remaining impediments.
We are terribly disappointed things have gone this way and we will really miss seeing all our friends who have supported this race for the past six years. But we feel strongly that we’d rather do no race at all then put on a race that is anything short of first-rate.
Since launching our first race in 2007 we have been lucky to host 5 extremely successful events. And we're grateful to have made memories with a lot of fantastic people from all over the world while helping to make our hometown Chicago a paddling destination. We hope to see everyone again in 2014.
We will post any developments that occur as we continue to push for next year’s race. Please stay tuned to our page for the most current updates. For information on refunds, please go to http://www.chicagoshorelinemarathon.com/Refund_FAQ.html for instructions.
Regards,
Tim and Kristin Flentye, and Steve Quinn
