Bay Area Reporter - December 22, 2005
Matthew S. Bajko, m.bajko@ebar.com

Katrina not only wiped out major sections of New Orleans when it slammed ashore in late August, it forced AIDS marathon organizers to drop their plans to send hundreds of runners to the Gulf Coast city during the city's Mardi Gras Marathon in February. The AIDS fundraiser's winter race participants will now take part in the 26.2-mile-long ING Miami Marathon on January 29.

According to a message on the AIDS marathon's Web site, the program opted to go to Florida because it lost the hotel rooms it had booked in Louisiana. Instead of race participants, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees coordinating disaster relief efforts in the area will be staying in the rooms.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Although we originally intended to participate in the New Orleans Marathon in February 2006, all of our hotel contracts have been canceled in order to provide housing to the thousands of FEMA employees who will be providing relief to the residents of this great city," reads the statement.

Robert Benavidez, AIDS marathon program director, said he made the decision and informed participants in September because at the time there were no other hotels to book rooms with in downtown New Orleans. Training for the winter run at that point had just begun in the Bay Area, and he said, it was unclear if other hotels in New Orleans would be operating in time for the marathon.

"We had no choice. We were going to make every attempt to make the marathon. [The hotels] made the decision for us by canceling our contracts," he said. "I think given the circumstances going on, it was sad. We wanted to make sure the overall experience was a good one for our participants. Given everything that was happening, I am not sure that would have happened."

The AIDS marathon program, which raises money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, began recruitment for this winter's race before Katrina struck. Posters still up on Muni buses and around town say it will take place in New Orleans. Enrollment for the race is off by 50 percent this year, with only 200 people signed up for the program. Each entrant is required to raise at least $3,000 to run in the marathon, and Benavidez said fundraising is at half of the $500,000 raised through last year's Mardi Gras marathon.

Uncertainty over where the race would take place may have deterred people from signing up, he said.

"It was occurring during our registration process," said Benavidez.

The AIDS marathon already has decided to return to Miami in 2007 due to not knowing what condition New Orleans will be in by that time. Benavidez said it is too early to know if the program will return to the Mardi Gras run in 2008.

"At some point the expectation is we will eventually return," he said.

Mardi Gras Marathon

The Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon, now in its 41st year, will take place. Scheduled for Sunday, February 5, it will be the first major sporting to be held in New Orleans since Katrina hit. This year's marathon will have a new route due to the damage the storm wrought on the Crescent City. The race will donate all net proceeds to a special Hurricane Katrina Fund called "Back to the Big Easy" to assist local charities in the rebuilding of New Orleans.

It will be the first time since 2001 a contingent of AIDS marathon runners from the Bay Area does not take part in the Mardi Gras Marathon. The switch also impacts 400 runners from the Washington, D.C. metro area and 50 people from Los Angeles taking part in AIDS marathon programs in those cities.

"I was bummed. I love New Orleans. I have gone there three times," said Adam Dawson, a Berkeley resident and first time runner who signed up in order to run a marathon before he turns 45.

Dawson has raised $7,000 so far from his and his wife's family, as well as friends. He has family is Florida so he said he was pleased with the choice of going to Miami.

"It is fine. It is also flat, so that is another good reason to go there," he joked.

Not everyone who signed up for the AIDS marathon is going to Miami. Two women, neighbors and longtime running partners from Oakland, are traveling on their own to New Orleans to run their first marathon. They are still training with the AIDS marathon program and are raising money for SFAF, the Big Easy fund, and Habitat for Humanity.

"I was touched by the amount of devastation that occurred there in that region. I wanted to support the rebuilding of the city and the area," said Ann Arizu, who grew up in Pensacola, Florida and had no desire to go to Miami. "The location didn't grab me at all. I wanted to go to New Orleans even more when I found out they were still holding the Mardi Gras Marathon and the money would go to the fund. That felt really good to me."

Arizu and her friend, Patty Sullivan, found rooms at a bed and breakfast in the city's Garden District that Arizu and her husband had stayed at two years ago. Arizu said the owner "was really thrilled to hear people were coming back into the city" when she called to inquire about reservations.

"I am excited; I am not nervous. I think I will be shocked at the devastation. People who have been there say it is unbelievable," said Arizu. "I am very thankful the AIDS foundation let us stay with them and train with them. The program is excellent and the staff is phenomenal."

Sullivan, who met Arizu 14 years ago when the women's daughters were in kindergarten together, has been to New Orleans five times and is friends there with one family who is rebuilding after they lost both their home and several businesses to the storm.

"I just have a special connection with New Orleans. I felt it was not only a fun-loving place but also an accepting place, very much like San Francisco," said Sullivan. "We signed up because it was going to be in New Orleans. When Katrina hit it doubled our interest in raising funds for there. It is very important for friends and family members and the larger community to show support for the region."

Walk-the-Talk Productions developed the National AIDS Marathon Training Program in 1998 to raise money for AIDS services. In the past seven years, more than 17,000 people nationwide have successfully completed the training program and raised $55 million. There are training programs in the Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. metro areas.

SFAF partnered with the marathon promoters in 2001 to create the local program and has raised over $13.1 million from race participants. Half of the money pays for airfare and other expenses while the other half is divided between SFAF, local nonprofits, and global treatment efforts.

SFAF Executive Director Mark Cloutier said the foundation has no plans to send money raised from this year's marathon to New Orleans. He pointed out that the foundation already gave $5,000 to the Montrose Clinic in Houston to help gays, lesbians, and people with HIV displaced by the storm.

"We are not going to make any further donations. It is not what our commitment was when people signed on. They were told the money is going to support services for people with HIV and AIDS in the Bay Area. That's our covenant, our contract we have with people," said Cloutier.

Both Arizu and Sullivan are still raising funds for the three organizations. Though Habitat for Humanity is unable to collect donations via the Web, donations can be made to the other groups online.

To donate to the Big Easy fund go to www.mardigrasmarathon.com and click on Donate Online on the box to the right. Select either woman's name from the dropdown menu to view their fundraising page.

To donate to SFAF, go to www.aidsmarathon.com and click on the Choose a Runner option. The site will ask for the runner's number; enter 5117 for Arizu or 5124 for Sullivan.

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