THE Blackmore Vale Half Marathon has been called off.

Runners were set to take to the start line on Sunday morning (February 2), but organisers said the course is waterlogged, making it unsafe for the race to go ahead.

“I very much regret to say that following a survey of the course and the infrastructure this morning that Blackmore Vale Lions Club (BVLC) have reluctantly come to the conclusion that it would be unsafe to run the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon on February 2,” said race director Tim Otter, of organisers the Blackmore Vale Lions Club.

He said the reasons were:
• The course is waterlogged. Many of the lanes are fast flowing streams, there are some horrendously deep puddles and some fast flowing cross road streams.
• Getting in and out of Bishop’s Caundle is difficult. The A3030 is blocked by flood water in a number of places, either side of the village.
• The relevant authorities believe floodwater will not have receded sufficiently to say the race was safe.
• The car parking and the start/finish areas are underwater/waterlogged and at best very slippery and dangerous to walk on and too soft to support cars.
• The forecast for the day is cold, wet and windy. Given the number of more experience folk either marshalling or taking part, the risk of hypothermia is very high, especially as people will get soaked running the race.

“Taking everything together, my decision is that it would be unsafe to allow the race to go ahead,” Mr Otter added.

“I am by nature a risk taker but I am not prepared to put so many of you at risk.

“Rest assured BVLC will examine all the possibilities for restaging the event as soon as possible. We do not have another meeting when I can get the team together until early February.

“As soon as we have looked at the options, we will get back to you.

“My thanks go to you for your patience and understanding and to my team who, all volunteers, have devoted a lot of time and effort to getting to where we have got to and now face the task of doing most of it again.”