GoFundMe Page Established to Help Local Relief Efforts
Sonoma, CA, (October 20, 2017) – Today, Destination Races and Motiv Sports announced the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon and Hallowine 10K were officially cancelled after carefully reviewing all different scenarios and consulting with county officials, CHP, medical teams, community partners, and participants.
The races were scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 28 and although the events are several days away, pulling away community resources and emergency personnel was a huge concern. The race organization received many social media posts addressing concerns about the races and the difficulties in participating this year. The race attracts runners from all over the states to Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, and the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys for a Halloween and wine harvest themed race and other activities. The race expo was to be held at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa on Friday, October 27.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this cancellation may cause for our participants, vendors, and partners,” Matt Dockstader, Partner of Destination Races. “Destination Races’ events are focused on building a community of active enthusiasts and supporting partners who share a passion for running and a love of the wine country experience.”
In support of North Bay fire relief efforts, Destination Races and Motiv Sports will be making a $10,000 donation to local charities aimed at relief and recovery efforts. They have also established a GoFundMe page to raise even more funds and the link can be found here https://www.gofundme.com/drfirerelief.
“We went to great lengths to reach out to all our partners in all the communities that were affected in Sonoma County to determine the feasibility of holding this event,” stated Dockstader. “The feedback was mixed making it a very tough decision to cancel, as residents and businesses are ready to get back on their feet and resume their normal lives. But with support services being so stretched the past two weeks, we feel the best way to show our support at this time is through our fundraising efforts and by coming back even stronger next year with our Sonoma and Napa county based events.”
In lieu of the race on October 28th, Destination Races staff is organizing a day of volunteerism in Sonoma County. All local runners, volunteers, and partners are invited to join in as they distribute snacks, drinks and other items originally intended for the race and offer additional support and donations. More information will be posted on the race Facebook page and website over the next few days.
Destination Races and Motiv Sports are offering the option to transfer to events from the Motiv portfolio, which includes the 2018 Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon, 2018 IPA 10K, or the 2018 Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon.
About Destination Races / Motiv Sports
Destination Races was founded in 2004, and produces a series of boutique-style events hosted by renowned wine regions and revered by thousands of runners and wine enthusiasts from all over the world. Local events include the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon, IPA 10K and Beer Mile Invitational and Vintage Festival 12k and 5K. Learn more about Destination Races at www.destinationraces.com.
Motiv Sports is an active lifestyle and entertainment company focused on delivering authentic and immersive live and digital experiences. Founded in 2015, Motiv Sports is headquartered in Denver, CO, with offices across the country and Canada. With decades of experience in the sports and entertainment events industry, the company is continually refining what works while exploring unique partnerships and opportunities to further enhance the consumer experience. The Motiv Sports platform currently consists of 41 triathlon and running events and digital properties with plans to expand into several vertical industries in the outdoor lifestyle space. A belief in better is the root of all motivation. Learn more at www.motivrunning.com.
