Monday, May 17, 2010

What a day....

Sunday's Delaware Marathon Running Festival turned out to be one huge party! The weather was perfect, the volunteers were doing their jobs and the police were working to make the route as safe as possible which meant closing roads to traffic. I felt like a conductor leading the orchestra.... everyone was in sync. But with big crowds and the marathon distance comes issues. I have received many emails about the two runners who collapsed near the finish line. I was not there to witness but i did meet with the medical team to find out what happened. Due to the nature of these discussions I am not allowed to discuss in length. But i can give you current updates. Both the gentlemen who were taken to Christiana Care are doing ok. Both did have heart attacks. One was a bit more severe than the other. They were not the only folks taken to the hospital. Lead biker Doug White crashed at Kentmere and Union streets and and a runner in the half marathon went down with a broken leg as he approached the finish line. Two runners on the course were also treated by medical. One with a knee issue and another having leg spasms. Plus one knucklehead who ran the last leg of the relay drunk and had to be taken off the course. I thank all of you for your concerns. A special thank you to my wife Barb for handling the medical aspects of our marathon. And a double thank you to operations director Joel Schiller who has elevated this race to be Delaware's premier running event. My goal was for you to have a fun / safe time. I am only the guy who points folks in the right direction. It was the 300 plus volunteers who make this race a success.