Concern over mussels sees The \'Beast\' rescheduled
Official Press Release / 03.06.2004
In an open letter to New Balance BEAST of the East competitors, Don Mann explains the need to postpone the event.Hello BEAST Competitors
We are contacting you to let you know about a change in the schedule for the New Balance BEAST of the East. We have been working hard over the past year with National Park Service representatives in the Big South Fork area of TN, as well as other land owners to finalize the BEAST course. It was recently brought to our attention that due to water levels remaining lower than expected, our current course design was going to impact, of all things, several endangered species of mussels. The sections of river in question are an integral part of the course and their loss would be a detriment to the quality of the event.
At this late date, it would not be feasible to reroute the course and have all the scouting worked out before the July date. Course designer Joy Marr is well-known for her creative and challenging courses. We would not be satisfied with continuing with our current course, as competitors would be forced to portage several significant portions of the paddling sections.
It is for this reason, we are rescheduling the event until mid-November. We are working with local entities to reschedule all aspects of the event and are confident the extra time will allow us to redesign this portion of the race, and ensure a quality event. We will provide you with the new dates/schedule in the coming days.
We understand that you and your team have worked very hard to train and plan your time away from work and family, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience of having to reschedule. Our belief is that by moving the event to the fall, the prospect of higher water levels will be achieved, thus enabling us to provide the quality event you are expecting. Your team can look forward to traveling along rugged rocky bluffs, deep gorges and wooded plateaus, as they hike and bike along hilly single track and backcountry mountain roads.
To ensure each athlete has received this notice, we ask that someone from your team respond back stating that everyone on their team has been notified. There were several teams for which we have only the captain\'s email address.
Thank you for your patience and we promise to provide you with a quality event worth waiting for. We encourage you to consider the New Balance Mega Dose August 20 - 22 in Natural Bridge, VA as a warm-up for the November BEAST.
Sincerely,
Don Mann
President,
Odyssey Adventure Racing
ww.oarevents.com
