Dash, no Splash

I almost titled this post WTF, NYRR? So I will pose that question again: WTF, NYRR?

A few weeks ago I signed up for the New York Road Runners Dash & Splash 10K - a marathon qualifier - for the day before my birthday next weekend. The race was supposed to involve running a loop of Central Park and then jumping into Lasker Pool afterward. Dash, then splash. Get it? I got it. And I was really excited about it. I love to swim. I love to run. I love the idea of combining the two and celebrating my birthday in the process.

Now I had gone on the New York City parks department website a while back looking for information on the city public pools. I use the Sunset Park pool in the summers for lap swimming/cross training and I have great love for it, so I was looking to see when I could start using it this year. The Parks Department site said the pools open for the season on June 27. So I figured NYRR had permission to open Lasker up for the runners who registered for the race.

Then I went on the NYRR website this week, to discover that the Dash & Splash is now the Dash. Someone there apparently realized the pool would not actually be open.

I'm really angry. Maybe a lot of people who do these races have a lot of disposable income, but I don't, and I pick and choose my races carefully. I specifically chose this one for the pool experience. Now it's just a regular old 10K in Central Park - I would have done the women's-only Mini 10K this weekend if I had known. Of course, NYRR won't let me switch, or give me a refund. It's a total waste of my $17. So I am just going to seethe a bit.

To add insult to injury, the NYRR website also says that "misting stations" will be available after the race. Hmph.

Look here for my certain-to-be-cranky race report next weekend...