Race Promoters Hit the Wall in Del Mar, Reroute Marathon Through Oceanside

Lynn Flanagan is flabbergasted. Del Mar lets those oily, smelly, noisy race cars rampage within its city limits on their annual Grand Prix. But they give the boot to a bunch of runners who want to quietly lope through town.

“Isn’t that amazing?” said Flanagan, director of In Motion, promoter of the San Diego International Marathon.

This week, the City Council voted to deny permits sought by In Motion to stage part of the 26.2-mile foot race through Del Mar on its proposed course up the North County coast--forcing Flanagan to reroute the 27-year-old event exclusively through Carlsbad and Oceanside.

Del Mar city officials say the race just came at a bad time, and they responded to the will of residents who were solidly against playing host to the event.

Flanagan, however, says the race that benefits several local charities just became a victim of small-town politics.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” she said of Del Mar’s decision. “They had some valid concerns that we spent two weeks addressing. But, when we came back to them with a full report, they wouldn’t even look at it.

“I was just really shocked. We spent all this time spinning our wheels for nothing, for them just to dismiss us like that. Well, Del Mar can go ahead and build a wall around itself for all we care.”

The Dec. 9 race will go on as planned though, she said, starting and finishing at the Oceanside Pier. Half the course will still hug the ocean, running south to La Costa Avenue at the Encinitas city limits before turning east into Carlsbad.

The course originally proposed would have taken runners along the entire North County coastline from La Jolla to Oceanside.

“Still, it’ll be a good course,” Flanagan said. “We’ll be in two cities that really want us.”

The marathon ran into a battle of red tape earlier this month when three North County cities--Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach--initially refused to grant promoters the necessary permits to stage the race within their boundaries.

The three cities--all of whom have a contract with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department to provide police services--had earlier received a letter from Sgt. Rich Hendrickson, the department’s coordinator for special events, advising staff members against approving the race because of the manpower needed for security.

“They were a key player, and unfortunately you had one officer who didn’t want to see the race run in North County,” Flanagan said. “And all the cities looked up to him as the authority. What are you going to do?”

Two weeks ago, promoters appealed the matter to the city councils. On Monday night, Del Mar was the first city to officially reject being host of the event. Both Encinitas and Solana Beach have postponed making a decision.

“It’s all moot now,” Flanagan said. “The race is coming soon. We just don’t have time to wait around anymore.”

Del Mar Mayor Jan McMillan said the council’s decision came after consulting city staff and the Sheriff’s Department. “We were listening to the people who live here,” she said.

Councilman Chris Helton said that, although some elements within the city want to see Del Mar used as a stage for special events, “the majority want to see it remain a small, quaint, residential village.”

McMillan added that the City Council has also voted against the staging of the annual Grand Prix road race, but it has been overruled by the state Coastal Commission.

“If Lynn knew the history of our city, she’d know that we have opposed that race,” the mayor said. “I’m sorry she feels this way.”

Meanwhile, Flanagan says, race plans continue on schedule up the road in Oceanside.

Pat Sanchez, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, said the city is excited about being host of the race, which he called “one of the nation’s premiere running events.”

“We believe we should have such a race run in Oceanside,” Sanchez said. “It’ll bring in 10,000 runners and their families, give them an opportunity to see what Oceanside has to offer.”

Oceanside, he said, has a special events office that actively solicits events such as concerts and running and bicycle races to be staged in the city.

“We’ve dealt with promoters, and we know the long-term economic and exposure benefits that come from these things,” he said. “Apparently, Del Mar doesn’t play such an active role in special event gathering. So maybe they don’t know all the benefits.”

Thom Hunt, who won the marathon in 1986, said an inland course might dampen the enthusiasm of some runners. “Some are just looking for a fast course with fast conditions,” he said.

“But that’s only a small percentage of the athletes. There’s lots of marathons staged all over the world on a year-round basis. And many runners consider things like how scenic the route is when they choose their races.”

In the meantime, Flanagan said this year’s marathon planning has taught her a valuable lesson when dealing with suburban politics.

“Stay away from it,” she said.