On Saturday, some 20,000 runners hit the pavement in downtown Geneva for the traditional Escalade Running Competitions. The race’s chief organizer, Jean-Louis Bottani, claimed that the sky was with them and that event’s enthusiasm could not be affected by the weather. Some 600 volunteers helped organize the 28th edition of the city’s most important sporting event. A couple of hours before the race, a cold rain drenched the streets and many feared that participants and spectators would shy away and stay indoors. Nevertheless, some 3,800 runners who had registered never showed up for the race itself. That translates into a 17% defection rate, which beats all previous records and raises serious organizational questions for next year’s race. Bottani says that organizers might have to institute a charge for the youth bracket, so as to encourage them to actually run.

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