Pasadena Inaugural Marathon

I was anxiously waiting this day. This was to be my first “Inaugural event. I trained for months and did some fundraising for the “American Stroke Association. I was part of the “Train to End Stroke” Pasadena Team.

The week of the event I started hydrating on Thursday, on Friday I started to load up on my carbohydrates. I was more than ready for the race.

On Saturday, I started to wonder if the race would go on. The Air Quality was not good. The fires that had erupted and keep erupting were really damaging the Air Quality. I personally thought that if would be cancelled, but to play it safe I did exactly what I needed to do to prepare my body for Sunday.

I picked up my packet which contained my bib number and chip. After perusing the different booths and talking to the different sponsors and exhibiters, I went to attend the TTES pasta party.

After the pasta party, I got my race gear ready for the morning, and quickly went to bed. Of course as customary I did not sleep well in anticipation of the race.

I rolled out of bed at 4AM; put my gear on including the bib and chip. As I was checking to make sure I had not forgotten something, the phone rings. I’m not sure who’s calling me that early so I contemplated not answering. I did answer and it was a good thing I did. It was one of my team members telling me that the Marathon had been cancelled due to the “Air Quality”. This as about 4:45 AM.

Here I am overloaded with electrolytes and carbohydrates, and no race. I felt like I needed to run it all off. But, I could not the air quality was bad not only in Pasadena, but all the areas surrounding the city.

Until that day I had never heard of a Marathon being cancelled. Marathon events normally go rain or shine, but I guess this was a “freak” of nature. This took everyone by surprise. Canceling an event of this nature (2) hours before the event, was very costly to the organizers and the participants who were not given any refund.