June 2

Hello GMR Captains,

This morning I received the kind of news that a race director of a long distance relay does not want to hear less than three weeks from the race.

In the last 24 - 48 hours, a bridge on US 2 (Leg 7) was inspected and did not pass. VTrans immediately closed the bridge (no one wants another accident similar to what happened in Minneapolis). The plan is by the time of the relay, the bridge could be completely torn down, but a temporary replacement bridge will not be in place. So we have to reroute the course. Fortunately, I heard the news this morning rather then when I arrive in VT in two weeks.

There are a couple of options that I'm looking at, but my point is, Legs 7, 8, and the beginning of Leg 9 will be different. Complicating this issue is my flight does not arrive in Vermont until the Tuesday before the race, so I many not be able to finalize details until after my arrival. So please bear with me as I figure this out.

This isn't the first time this has happened to a relay. There is a relay race around Lake Tahoe in California - last year they were affected by the major forest fires in the area and had to alter their race significantly! It's all part of it.

None-the-less, I plan to have the starting times figured out by Wednesday if not sooner, and the Team Supplied Volunteer selection process by the end of the week.

If you could, please limit non-critical emails. I am a one-person office so you can imagine I'll have my hands full. But if it is important, I'll get back to you ASAP.

Thanks for your patience and I'll keep you posted as best I can.

Paul
Race Director