This week’s historic and dangerous flooding throughout Vermont has devastated roads and communities, and now it has forced the cancellation of the iconic Vermont 100.
The event’s race director, Amy Rusiecki, made the difficult announcement last night in a message posted on the Vermont 100 website and sent to registered participants.
“It breaks my heart to write this, but due to the devastating flooding that hit the race course yesterday and the lasting damage due to this weather event, the race committee has reached the unfortunate decision that this year’s event must be cancelled,” said Rusiecki. “The second worst thing a race committee wants to do is to conduct an unsafe race for the runners, volunteers, and communities. Our highest priority is the safety of every runner, volunteer, trail, and road that this event impacts.”
Earlier this week, much of the state received roughly two months worth of rain in a two-day period. Several communities received more than nine inches of rain within 48 hours. The incredible rainfall led to severe flooding in communities, washing aways roads, and dangerously pushing dams to the brink.
For race organizers and participants, the timing couldn’t have been worse. The Vermont 100 was scheduled to begin this Friday, July 14, and run through Sunday, July 16.
Vermont is still under a state of emergency. The town of Woodstock experienced severe flooding, including the Lincoln Covered Bridge, located at Mile 39 of the course, which, according to the statement, is currently covered in a foot of mud from the flooding.
Many places on the course’s route and accesses to aid stations are washed out or inaccessible. The Taftsville Bridge, at roughly Mile 14 of the course, is currently closed and was recently under feet of water. The roads by Margaritaville, at roughly Mile 59 of the course, have been washed out and are impassible to runners or vehicles.
Rusiecki said rescheduling the event within a few weeks is logistically impossible and beyond a few weeks organizers run into the VT50 and numerous other incredible local fall events.
Read Vermont 100 Race Director Amy Rusiecki’s full statement on the cancellation here.
