Canal Run organizers elevated the race’s Event Alert System to red Thursday due to heavy wildfire smoke traveling across Lake Superior toward the Keweenaw Peninsula and Upper Peninsula.
The change in wind direction, coming from the northwest, has directed smoke from wildfires across the region. The 51st annual Canal Run is scheduled for Saturday.
“It’s something we talk about during our planning meetings early in the year, because we never know what’s going to happen when we actually get to running the canal run every year,” said Michael Babcock, board member for Canal Run. “This is the first year we’ve really had to fully activate it. What it means is that we get together with our planning committee, taking in what we know, whether it’s too hot, too cold, storms, all that kind of stuff, and try to make the appropriate decision for the race.”
The Canal Run’s Event Alert System uses four color levels: green, yellow, red and black to differentiate race conditions. While the system typically monitors weather forecasts, wildfire season can also impact the alert level.
“If the levels get a little bit better, we might put it on yellow and actually run the race and tell our racers to be aware that if it switches to red or black, red means be really aware and might pull yourself up if you want to,” Babcock said. “Black means the course needs to be cleared.”
Canal Run stays in contact with the National Weather Service’s Marquette office throughout the lead-up to race day. Those conversations help inform the final decision.
“We had our call this morning with them and they showed us the projections they have based on the sources they work with,” Babcock said. “It became pretty obvious that the move needed to go from yellow to red because we’re depending on a few different things happening in order for it to go back to green. The weather will need to not be terrible. We have storms scheduled for Friday and Saturday morning, so we need to make sure those stop. We also need to make sure they actually come in because the smoke won’t clear out unless we have those storms.”
Safety remains the top priority. Professional medical personnel staff aid stations throughout the course, and an ambulance is always on site. Racers should monitor their health and consider slowing down, resting or ending the race early if needed.
“If there’s any race that’s in a position to do an event in a situation like this, it is ours,” Babcock said. “We have professional medical people throughout the course, like we always do. We have several people on the course with radios so that if something does happen, there will be communication with our race headquarters.”
Canal Run will continue monitoring conditions over the next 48 hours. Registered participants and volunteers will receive updates via email and through the official Canal Run social media channels.
Friday night’s Key Ingredients event in Hancock will help kick off the weekend. The race still needs additional volunteers for aid stations. For more information, visit Canal.run online or check the City of Hancock Facebook page.
