The Virgin Sport Festival of Fitness announced Thursday that it will cancel this year’s events — including the Twin Peaks Mile and the SF Bay Half Marathon — scheduled for October 14 and 15 in San Francisco due to poor air quality, widespread public health concerns and resource re-allocation as a result of wildfires in the area.
In a press statement, Virgin Sport CEO Mary Wittenberg said, “Air quality is a major concern. Another priority for us is making sure that city and local officials, as well as first responders, have no distractions in doing what they need to do to help affected communities manage this situation. This was a big decision, given that this was our inaugural event and many stakeholders, including volunteers and of course the athletic community, worked hard to make it a reality. It’s also the right and necessary thing to do, for the sake of everyone’s health and safety.”
Virgin Sport posted the change of plans to Instagram, telling followers, “After careful consideration and consultation with the City and County of San Francisco and local officials, we are canceling our Virgin Sport San Francisco festival of fitness … Every paid participant will receive a full refund and we will be sharing an update on the process in the coming weeks.”
The company also announced that it will donate $25,000 to the Norther California coastal region chapter of the American Red Cross, to be matched penny-for-penny by Virgin Sport founding partner ASICS America.
Other fitness companies are also taking steps to aid North Bay fire relief efforts. This Saturday, MNTSTUDIO in Sonoma will hold a Pilates boot camp fundraising workout event, according to 7.7.com. A suggested donation of $20 from all attendees will go to support the Napa Valley Community Foundation.
Barry’s Bootcamp has initiated a GoFundMe account called “United We Sprint,” and is asking members to contribute to the campaign to aid fire evacuees. Next Saturday, Oct. 21, a SoulCycle location in Castro will host a charity ride to support the Sonoma SPCA. A donation of $32 is suggested.