First time in its history, race has been called off

NEW BEDFORD — The New Bedford Half Marathon — which annually brings nearly 3,000 runners and hundreds of supporters to the city and shines the running spotlight on the Whaling City — has been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus, city and race officials said Tuesday.

This year's race would have been the 43th. This is the first time in its history the race has been canceled, according to Dan McCarthy, race director.

Mayor Jon Mitchell's office, in a news release, said "the unique nature" of the race elevates its health risk above other public outings. The race draws as many as 3,000 runners, including some from areas that have confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus.

At the start of the race, which is in front of City Hall on Pleasant Street, runners are tightly packed, waiting for the starting gun to fire, the release said. This congestion of runners raises the risk of disease transmission. The same is true for spectators and emergency personnel along the 13.1-mile route that starts downtown and covers almost every part of the city except the North End.

“This decision is not made lightly. The New Bedford Half Marathon is one of the oldest and most popular half marathons in the country," the mayor said in a prepared statement.

"While no other public events in New Bedford have been canceled, decisions regarding future public events in the city will be based on the overall risk level and the nature of the event," he said. "I wish to thank all of the volunteers who have worked hard to organize the race and I ask for their understanding, along with those local businesses that benefit from the race, that this decision is made to protect the public.”

The race is a major event for New Bedford and is always held on the third Sunday in March, shortly before the start of spring. It also provides a shot in the arm to the city's economy as many runners remain downtown after the race and visit the restaurants and bars. The race is organized by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a local fraternal organization, and is supported strongly by the city, which closes streets for the safety of the runners. Proceeds from the race go back to the community and benefit the Friendly Sons' many charitable endeavors.

The race draws most of its runners from the New England states, but also attracts "destination runners" from New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

McCarthy said "more than 2,120 runners" had registered for the race, and in-person registrations were going to be accepted Saturday and Sunday. He said they were expecting between 2,500 and 2,750 runners for the race.

Because of the closeness in time to the Boston Marathon, many elite runners use the New Bedford Half Marathon as a way to train for Boston. For local runners, it is a source of special pride to finish the challenging course with a steep hill at the end and the requirement that they train heavily in the winter months.

Stephen Taylor, a New Bedford police officer and runner, who organizes a large group of runners who run the race each year to raise money to combat spinal muscular atrophy, said about 100 runners from his group were planning to run Sunday's race. His group is called Team Owen and they run in memory of Owen Simmons, the son of Andrew and Heather Simmons, who died in November 2009 from SMA.

"They understand the decision. There is disappointment. People trained all winter," Taylor said. "It's a day that the city really shines.

"The decision wasn't made lightly. Sometimes you have to err on the side of caution," he said.

Team Owen, which wears distinctive, blue T-shirts when they run, was formed in 2010 and since that time they have raised $130,000 to find a cure and for research and to raise awareness.

Bill Kole, a member of the Boston Track Club, has run the New Bedford Half Marathon a couple of times. He wasn't planning to run it this year, but every year several members of his track club run the race. After the race, they go to a local restaurant and enjoy a nice meal.

"It's a great tuneup race for Boston. It's just a few weeks before Boston. It has always been. It's definitely a disappointment," he said.

Runners, though, are generally socially conscious and he said they will understand the reasons behind the decision.

McCarthy made it clear that the race will not be rescheduled to another date later this year, saying there are not enough open dates on the New England road running calendar and due to the lingering concerns about the coronavirus.

He agrees with the cancellation and explained it was a coordinated decision made jointly for health reasons by the Friendly Sons' Half Marathon Committee and the Mayor's office.

He said the committee met with the medical professionals on Monday and were "cautiously optimistic" the race would be held. McCarthy also sounded optimistic last week in an interview, saying runners are a healthy group of people, the event is held outdoors and the New Bedford race does not attract an international field.

However, things changed within a 24-hour period.

The New Bedford YMCA, which is used as the site for number pickups on the Saturday before the race; Sunday the day of the race; and then converts to the location of the post-race meal, decided it would not allow its indoor facilities to be used either day out of a concern for its membership about the virus, McCarthy said.

Jim Scherer, president and chief executive officer of YMCA SouthCoast, said as an alternative they decided to continue the tradition of the Y involvement in the race by offering the use of its parking and grounds.

He said the New Bedford YMCA draws thousands of visitors and the decision was made out of concern for the safety, welfare and health of their membership. "I couldn't do that to my membership," he said.

McCarthy said he understands the Y's concern with anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people using their facility to pick up their race numbers and then attend a post-race meal. "We understand and respect their decision. This is a difficult decision for everyone," he said.

McCarthy said he had a conversation with Mitchell Tuesday morning where he described the mayor as "leaning towards canceling" the race. The decision became final by early afternoon.

"The Half Marathon Committee and the Mayor's office believe we are doing what is in the best interests of everyone," he said. "We hope to come back as strong as ever next year."

The Half Marathon Committee incurred "significant upfront costs" with the chips to ensure accurate times for each runner, T-shirts, medals and a deposit on the post race meal, he said.

McCarthy said they will be reaching out to the runners who pre-registered, but there is "limited capacity" to make refunds because they are a non-profit and have incurred such significant overhead costs. "We need to discuss what steps we will take next," he said.

Youth and those under 18 are charged $50 to run the race, according to the New Bedford Half Marathon's website. Adults are charged $65 before Dec. 31, 2019, and $75 after that date.

Follow Curt Brown on Twitter @CurtBrown_SCT