Organizers Cancel Half Marathon, Extend Sympathies to People of Boston

If you were planning to participate in the June 8 Grapes of Rock Half Marathon you might want to change your plans.

Organizers announced that they have canceled the inaugural event. The half marathon, which was to begin in Healdsburg and finish at Lake Sonoma, is part 13.1-mile course and part rock concert, designed to benefit the Santa Rosa chapter of the Salvation Army.

Organizers went through painstaking efforts to make the event a success in Sonoma County, lining up former Poison frontman Bret Michaels for the rock show at the end. The concert and marathon aimed to bring 5,000 runners from all over the region to Sonoma County to run, raise money and enjoy Sonoma County businesses.

But organizers said that they have run up against logistical and economic obstacles that are preventing them from hosting the event.

Although the organizers didn't come out and say that they canceled the event because of the dual explosions that devastated the Boston Marathon, they mentioned the tragedy towards the end of a letter they sent to the registered runners.

News of the cancellation has stirred up debate and dismay among local runners. Many in the running community are disappointed at the announcement; some have been training for months. Others say that because of the events of the Boston Marathon, it's a good idea to cancel it.

Take a look at the letter sent to registered runners:

Subject: An Update on The Grapes of Rock Run - Please Reply for Refund

Dearest runners, family and friends...

This is a difficult moment for all of us in the running community, for reasons far beyond what any of us have ever experienced in this sport. Thus it gives us even heavier hearts to have to announce within this moment that we'll be unable to make our contribution to running's recovery. We cannot adequately articulate how disappointed we are to have to deliver this message, but we have come to the realization that we must cancel our Grapes of Rock event. 

Our team has successfully produced more than 40 endurance events over the past 12 years, yet despite our best efforts and countless hours, we continue to face logistical and economical obstacles that have ultimately proven to be impassable.

Our plan was ambitious: to bring 5000 eager runners, friends and family into an idyllic wine country landscape, give them the course of their lives, and reward them with an epic wine festival and rock concert, deep in the middle of nowhere. Ambitious has never stopped us before, yet now with over a year's work into it, every planning solution we attain is paired with another litany of challenges. We have thus determined that the risks of continuing now clearly outweigh any estimated rewards. 

Those risks would have been to the residents and communities hosting this event, the people served by The Salvation Army, the relationships with those who have played a role in our planning, and most importantly, you participants who should have expected the world. Our team is profoundly thankful for the efforts everyone has put in this far, and the trust our registrants have put into joining our event, but we fear moving forward would result in an outcome not satisfactorily meeting anyone's expectations. 

None of us involved in this effort stood to profit from it. Rather, we were all working for the benefit of the communities served by the Salvation Army. We applaud the Salvation Army’s vision and ambition in championing the Grapes of Rock concept as a response to an ever-growing challenge to generate resources. 

The goal was to offer an invigorating alternative to the common fundraiser -- to promote healthy lifestyles, ignite an exciting spark in the community, create a destination entertainment event, and promote more charitable giving than a typical fundraiser could produce. Unfortunately, we are seeing a reality is that is contrary to that outcome, as we have now invested more resources, and see greater expenses to come, than we can possibly recover. We regret that this format, which has thrived so well in other applications, proved to be untenable here. 

To all our runners, your registration fees have already been refunded. There is nothing further you need to do. It may take 5-7 days to show up in your account. We do urge everyone who can spare their entry fees to reroute them to The Salvation Army, which is doing such great work on behalf of low income families and dependency recovery. 

If you have any questions, thoughts, or extenuating circumstances related to our cancelation, please contact our VP of Events directly at ryan@grapesofrock.com. 

We again are so deeply disappointed to come to this decision. In parting, our hearts go out to the runners in Boston. And as always...

Run strong, 

The Grapes of Rock Team

Healdsburg Patch sent a letter to Ryan Chamberlain, Project Sport's Vice President of Event, and will update the story once we hear back from him.

What are your thoughts about this cancellation? Is it the right thing to do? Why?

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the proceeds from the Grapes of Rock event went to the American Red Cross.