New York entrants can get entry fee refunds

Runners who were unable to compete in the New York Marathon last month after the race was cancelled following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy will be able to get a refund of their entry fee. Organizers of the event announced the details on Thursday in an open letter from New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg, a refund being one of three options for most of the 47,500 who entered the November 4 event. "We are sorry that it has taken us longer to resolve these issues than we had originally hoped," Wittenberg said. "We have been working to offer the best possible solutions in order to meet the needs of the many different groups associated with the marathon." Runners could opt for a guaranteed spot in the 2013, 2014 or 2015 New York Marathon and while they would have to pay the entry fee again, they would do so only at the 2012 rate. Entry costs for 2012 ranged from $216 to $347. Runners could also accept a spot in the New York Half-Marathon next March, but would also have to pay an entry fee for that race. Ticket holders to marathon-related events will be offered full refunds. Refunds to runners apply only to those who had not withdrawn before October 24, when the first forecasts of the storm were made public. International runners who gained entry to the race as part of official marathon travel partner packages will be contacted by the travel group to facilitate the choice. Thousands of international runners arrived in New York days before the race and heard New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announce the race would go on, only to have him reverse the decision and call off the event with less than 48 hours of notice. Hurricane Sandy caused major damage and cut off electricity to many new York neighborhoods six days before the race. Many of those areas remained in dire situations even as organizers planned to run the marathon across the city before finally calling off the event.