In response to the statement issued by the ‘Run or Dye’ officials in reference to their cancelled race, the City of Champaign is issuing the following response:
“Since August of 2013, the Champaign Police Department has been in communication with both the University of Illinois and a representative for the Run or Dye event to discuss a location for the race. The proposed race course involved some campus and Champaign streets and a campus parking lot. The Department then provided event organizers about special event requirements and procedures for obtaining a permit. On March 6, 2014, the Department and race organizers were informed that permission had not been granted for the race to take place on the University of Illinois property. Race officials were informed that due to the time required to plan a new route, the proposed date of May 10th would not be feasible. The City is still open to hosting the Run or Dye event and has made that known to race officials.”
Before approving special event applications and granting permits, several requirements and procedures must be followed:
- Event organizers must receive approval from the property owners before hosting an event on private property;
- Coordination between city departments must occur to manage traffic patterns, road blockages, and post-event cleanup efforts;
- City staff must determine if police staffing patterns can properly support staffing for the event;
- The Mass Transit District must be notified about any potential disruptions to the bus routes and ensure that citizen commutes are not adversely affected by the event.
Since the original proposed location for the race was to be primarily on University of Illinois property, some of these procedures were never initiated. Therefore, the event could not be held on May 10, 2014, as originally requested by the Run or Dye organizers.