Footstock

Footstock 2025: Sunday, June 1st - cancelled

Dear Footstock Participants and Families,

We want to begin by thanking you for your patience, feedback, and support in the wake of this weekend’s cancellation. We know how much this event means to so many — and how disappointing it was not to race after all the time, training, travel, and anticipation, especially for our youngest athletes.

A cancellation notice was sent at 1:05am on Sunday morning, but we’ve since learned that many participants did not receive it, as it was unfortunately filtered into spam folders. We sincerely apologize for this breakdown in communication — it certainly wasn’t our intent to leave anyone without answers.

We also understand that some participants may have expected the 9:00am address at the pancake breakfast to include information about rescheduling or refunds. That brief message, delivered by race director Meredith McMorran, was meant to thank those who gathered that morning and to offer clarity on why the event could not safely continue. For those who could not attend, we want to share part of what was said:

> “It was a very hard decision to cancel our races. We considered trying to put on a partial event but came to the conclusion that we simply could not do it safely. To say that we are disappointed is an understatement. We’ve spent the better part of this last year preparing for what would have been our most well-attended event in almost 10 years.”

While the visible damage may have seemed limited to tents or tipped porta-potties, what was lost was far more critical: the infrastructure, logistics, and people-power required to safely run the event. Volunteer check-in supplies and instructions were scattered and packed into a U-Haul late Saturday night. Fencing, signage, and course materials were blown out of place or dismantled.

Many families arrived later in the morning, unaware that our race committee and volunteers had already been on-site since 4:30am, operating on just a couple hours of sleep and working hard to clean up the site. What appeared “ready” to some was actually the result of emergency triage — not preparation for a safe race.

Additionally, the kids’ triathlon bike course — per our permit — must be set up the morning of the event. The team responsible for this had to be redirected to handle cleanup and safety issues, making it impossible to proceed with a required part of the race.

We deeply regret the impact this had on your experience and your families. The decision to cancel was not taken lightly, and it’s one that has weighed heavily on all of us.

As race directors, we volunteer countless hours every year because we love seeing the joy on race day — from the kids crossing the finish line to the families cheering them on. That’s the reward for all the time and effort behind the scenes. It was heartbreaking for all of us as organizers and as members of this community. But this isn't about the twelve of us; this is about the Footstock community of volunteers, sponsors, participants and their families. Everyone lost Footstock this year.

That said, your voices are being heard. The race committee is currently reviewing every aspect of what happened — including logistics, communication, contingency planning, and what options may be possible moving forward — while also navigating the fixed costs already incurred and new expenses due to the loss of infrastructure.

We would also like to extend our most sincere gratitude to our incredible volunteers, who showed up early, stayed late, and gave their all in truly challenging conditions. To our sponsors, thank you for your ongoing support and flexibility. And to those of you who’ve sent kind messages, encouragement, and promises to return next year — we are so grateful. Your support means more than you know.

We will provide a detailed update by Tuesday, June 17.

Thank you again for being part of the Footstock community. We remain committed to learning from this and moving forward in a way that reflects the care and respect you deserve.

Warm regards,
Meredith McMorran
on behalf of the Footstock Race Directors

Action Media Projects Race Day Photos HERE. Please know that our goal is to capture some of the special moments of Race Day 2024. If you find one you’d like to purchase, that information is available on the website.