Weather Precautions at the Bellin Run

June 4, 2012

In light of recent road race events involving hot weather and a forecast calling for a chance of thunderstorms, the Bellin Run is sharing its contingency plans with participants.

While there always is the possibility of having to shorten or cancel the annual 10K event due to weather issues – it hasn’t been cancelled since the Bellin Run’s inception in 1977 – race planners are confident they’ll be able to act swiftly to address any weather challenges that may arise.

“Staging a road race that hosts nearly 20,000 participants is a responsibility that we take very seriously,” said Randy Van Straten, executive race director for the Bellin Run. “The safety and well-being of our participants takes precedence over everything else.”

So what happens if the Bellin Run needs to be called off due to hot weather or lightening?

There are a number of steps in place that will guide the decision to postpone or cancel the race.

Command Center
On race day, we establish a command center to coordinate emergency medical services professionals, public safety, and first responders on the course. This includes representatives from Bellin Health, several local health and safety agencies and race officials. If we ever had to postpone or cancel the event, the command center is where the determination would be made. We have specific contingency plans, including shortening the race to a 5K due to weather or other factors.

Communication
The decision would immediately be communicated to race planners who would then utilize a host of communications vehicles – course sound system, flag alert system, media announcements, etc. – to inform participants on and around the course.

Alert System
Bellin Run planners have designed a course conditions alert system that would be used to draw the attention of race participants. Black flags indicate the race has been cancelled; red means participants must slow down and observe course changes and follow instructions; under a yellow flag, participants must slow down and be prepared for worsening conditions; green flags indicate optimal race day conditions.

Two Hospitals
Many of the volunteers for the Bellin Run are health care professionals from Bellin Health, which helps us to watch for warning signs in participants. As our participation rates have grown, we have developed a sophisticated and coordinated medical plan to better ensure participant safety. We also benefit from being in close proximity to Bellin and St. Vincent hospitals.

“Our contingency plans are checked and re-checked and continuously updated to ensure that on the day we need to put them into action, they’ll work exactly as planned,” Van Straten said. “We strive to entertain and delight our participants but their safety and overall well-being comes first.”