HEARTBREAKING!!!!

i had an eventful weekend, but i'm too tired to post about it tonight. i'll get to that tomorrow.

i was shocked today after my own physical accomplishment to receive the call from my boss telling me the news of the chicago marathon closure today. i knew so many people set to have a good run out there today, namely my beloved co-worker, viva, who had to defer her race to this year due to being cast in a film just before last year's race. this was my first marathon ever, and i had such a memorable experience. it just saddens me that race directors would be so foolish/greedy as to max out the race population and then not prepare for such extreme conditions. i've worked and supervised water stations at the la marathon where temps were even higher than today in chicago, but we never ran out of water. has anyone ever heard of a fire hydrant?? they could have easily continued handing out water from a hydrant. in addition, somebody collapsed and died, but i think it's irresponsible to suggest that the race directors were directly responsible for this. when i ran chicago in mild 50 degree weather, somebody died that day at mile 24. turns out he was an avid runner but had undiagnosed heart disease. truth is, people die at just about every marathon, mostly due to undiagnosed predispositions or hyponatremia. still, i am sad for this runner's family and to all those who's goals were left unrealized today. it's especially heartbreaking for those attempting their first marathon. i hope for them that they will find it in themselves to give it another try. hopefully the truth will be revealed and people forced to take responsibility for this unfortunate yet preventable debacle of a day.