Race officials have canceled the Salinas Valley Half Marathon, scheduled for August 6, in Salinas, California, due to unhealthy air quality as a result of a large wildfire in the area.
Flames have engulfed more than 45,000 acres north of Big Sur, sending smoke into the Salinas Valley, about 40 miles from the race.
“Our first commitment is always to the health and safety of our runners and volunteers,” Doug Thurston, executive director of the Big Sur International Marathon, parent organization of the Salinas Valley Half Marathon, said in a press release.
Runners will have the option of deferring their entry until 2017 or receiving a free entry into a half marathon in November, also put on by Big Sur International Marathon.
In 2015, 957 runners finished the Salinas Half Marathon. This year would have been the seventh running of the race.
“This fire is a tragic event for our community in so many ways,” Thurston said. “We are confident the running community will agree that this was the right decision.”
To aid the situation in Monterey, the race will donate its water, food, and other supplies to firefighters working in the area.
