You’ve been training for months with a singular focus on crossing that finish line. You managed not to develop an injuries. You squeezed in runs when it was raining, when you had 42 things on your to do list, but the race is cancelled and beyond your control.
In 2012, I jumped on a plane filled with nerves to run my first NYC marathon. We’d been watching the news non-stop after Hurricane Sandy and it seemed everything was still a go. Arriving, a lot of things felt 100% normal, including the thousands of runners milling around the Expo and Central Park.
Then 8PM during a party with Runner’s World we got the news that the race was cancelled. We UNDERSTOOD on a massive level exactly why it was cancelled and runners then banded together the next day to go out and help clean up neighborhoods, but that didn’t mean our hearts weren’t also a bit broken.
And left many of us wondering what to do with tall the fitness we’d build and peaked to utilized.
Options After a Race is Cancelled
Whether you’re experiencing this because of the coronavirus cancelling Paris, Tokyo or other races, or simply due to weather (a common spring running issue), here’s some advice on what to do next.
After a race cancellation you have a couple key options:
- Choose a new race ASAP
- Choose a new distance within a few months
- Scrap this round of training in favor of a new goal
IN ALL CASES, it’s 100% ok to have your feelings!!!
Be sad that your goal has shifted.
Be frustrated that you need to rethink all your plans.
Be proud of yourself for all the hard work that you’ve put in.
Then you take action.
Because that’s what runners do! We face training obstacles all the time and this is just a bigger one than we ever hope to face. But once it happens, whether you race right away or not it’s REALLY important to remember that your training was NOT wasted.
It’s a bit like the mental recovery from an injury!
Option 1: Find a Nearby Race In the Next Two Weeks
If you had a destination race on the books, it’s not going to feel like an equal replacement to race locally. However, due to the stress of changing plans that local race is your best bet to allow yourself to settle in and take advantage of your training.
Of course, if your race has been cancelled due to weather this may not be a solution…but within a few weeks there are often other options that are still within a 2 hour drive and will allow you to capitalize on training.
Sticking to the SAME race distance, this is an example of how I would treat marathon training when your race has been cancelled.
- On the day your race would have been, go out for a long EASY run. Bounce back up to your highest long run distance if you can.
- In other words, try to repeat about 70-80% of your peak week mileage on the original race week.
- In the following two weeks, go back to your taper, drop the mileage again, but keep 2 days with short bouts of speed work.
- Focus big time on nutrition and sleep to help your body drop the cortisol which will impact your race day.
If you opt for a shorter distance, remind yourself that you’ve been training more for endurance than speed. So just because it’s shorter doesn’t mean you will automatically go out and crush it.
EXAMPLE converting marathon plan to half marathon
Original marathon plan week 13 of 16, roughly comparable to week 9 of a 12 week half marathon plan.
You’ll see that the overall feeling is the same, but mileage is lower. Since you have a solid base on distance, your half marathon plan can still include runs up to 15 miles. This will benefit you when adding in 1 or 2 speed sessions during the week that include goal pace running.
Want the entire plans? Find them all in my book!
Option 2: Find a Race in a Couple Months
If there’s nothing nearby or you can’t find a similar distance soon, then take a step back and create a new plan for the next couple of months. For those who have been marathon training, in a few months you might be able to have a pretty stellar half marathon or simply got out stronger in the full marathon with the right steps.
- Marathon runners should use the additional two months to really work on hip, glute and core strength.
- The additional months of high mileage will mean you can’t skimp on the injury prevention pre-hab.
- If sticking to the same distance, you can use your original race week as a good recovery week and then step back in your plan to two months prior and follow the build up again.
- If you’re dropping down to a shorter distance, then you’ll want cut the long run distances some and add in speed work at your new goal race pace.
Option 3: Wait to Find a Race that Excites You
This option may be both the hardest and potentially most rewarding. In 2012, I decided not to sign up for another marathon, but instead to wait and run NYC marathon in 2013. Did that mean all of my training was wasted? No.
- Your training has taught you things about yourself you may never have known.
- You’re now fitter and stronger, mentally and physically.
- You can spend some time enjoying friends, family and other types of training.
- You have no pressure to perform with a whacky schedule change.
- You don’t show up to a race you aren’t excited about and then find you have a less than stellar day because you weren’t mentally on board.
Have you had a race cancelled?
What did you do next?
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Caitlin
Thank you for this! I just dropped out of the LA Marathon (it was supposed to be my first marathon) and I’m absolutely devastated. I told myself that I can be sad for 24 hours…I’ve never cried so much in a 24 hour period. BUT today is the day I move on. I’ve found my next option that excites me – the Steamboat Springs Marathon!! And now I have 3 months to adjust all things that I “wish I had done” during my training. 💗 You always have the right things to say! Thank you!
amanda
YES! have that huge cry fest and the you did the best thing possible. I’m biased but Steamboat is an INCREDIBLE race. You MUST go to the hot springs right after…it’s bliss.
Amanda
Just got an email last night that my local half marathon for tomorrow was postponed till April! Frustrating, but I think I’ll just run most of the distance tomorrow anyways. A few extra weeks for training it is.
amanda
I think when it’s local the options can definitely be easier. You’ve got a great mindset!
Wendy
I’ve never had a race cancelled, but the BOA Shamrock Shuffle sent an email today that said “we are monitoring the situation”. It’s an 8k, so it’s really not heartbreaking to me. If my upcoming trail race was cancelled, that would kill be because it was expensive. A marathon would really be devastating. I’d definitely try to find something else to run.
A few years ago, I was supposed to run a half marathon in Florida, but a few weeks before, my son pulled a stunt and I wasn’t able to go. I found a local half and it was (and remains) my PR half. Nothing like a little angst to push you to a fast finish!
Aisling Grogan
I’m one of the Paris Marathon trainers (my first marathon!) Helpful they gave us a heads up so I signed up for the Vienna Marathon that is two weeks later. Am on the fence about just dropping distance, tho, as I’d like to focus more on strength training & speed work
amanda
I really wish they were being more proactive about a lot of the races. The last minute stuff is the worst! Definitely some bonuses to dropping down to go for speed now that you have the endurance
T.J.
I had planned on doing a 5k each month from March until September and do my first 10K in October – just got an email last night that my race next weekend is cancelled :( I still have all my others to look forward to, but I might tack on another 5k somewhere to make up for this one being cancelled. There was one I had my eye on, so just a momentary feeling of sadness! Now I can focus on getting strong before my first race at the end of April.
Cathy Henley
I was pretty bummed at first about my races getting cancelled, but then I decided to CHOOSE not to be sad or mad and still go run those distances on those days anyways. I am grateful for a strong and healthy body and will run for all those who cannot.
Alexis
My 10-miler for next week was changed to a virtual race. Some of my other local races this spring are tentatively scheduled to go on, but will be reevaluated closer to the date.
Christy
We were supposed to run a half at Monterey bay a couple years ago & had it cancelled due to air quality- forest fires in CA. We ran the route anyway & had the option to defer the race to the next year or donate our entry fee to the fire relief so we chose that option. Would love to go back & run the actual race though sometime!
Nicole
Thank you for sharing this! Amidst the craziness that is our world with the coronavirus, I’m just waiting for my first ever race, a half marathon in Chicago on April 4th to be cancelled. It’s really hard not to feel selfish about being bummed when there are others with much more important problems, but I totally feel like the months I’ve put into training have been wasted and I have no motivation for my long run this weekend. Maybe I’ll make my husband and friends setup a fake finish on the original race date so I can still prove I can run 13.1 even if it’s not the same atmosphere as an actual race 😆
PeterF
London Marathon was postponed today, from 26 April to 04 October. I’m gutted, but felt this news was going to come sooner or later. Not sure what to do with my training, other than RECOVER and CARRY ON.