Wildfire Causes Chaos at Mid-South

Image courtesy of Jarrod Bunk's Instagram

 The Mid=South events kicked off Friday with an expo and a running event. This amid an oncoming storm of such magnitude that it was, and still is on Saturday, affecting a large part of the nation with high winds, severe weather, and tornadoes. 

But of all the things you might consider as being a natural deterrent to going ahead with your event's plans, wildfires probably are not high on the list of concerns. But that is exactly what happened in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Friday. 

High winds above 50mph most of the afternoon whipped up several wildfires in central and Northeastern Oklahoma during the afternoon hours. A weather You Tube personality I watch was showing how the fire's smoke plume was showing up on radar. Then the fire Southwest of Stillwater popped up. I knew this was a big deal.

Last year at Mid-South I observed a lot of dried up vegetation and how the winds could, and did then, blast over the plains.  It was obvious, because of my previous observations, that Stillwater, and Mid-South, were at risk of being affected negatively. And unfortunately this is exactly what happened. 

There was a voluntary evacuation order at first for the West side of the city, and a shelter in place order followed quickly after this. Then a full on mandatory evacuation of the West side of Stillwater was announced. Meanwhile, all Friday activities were cancelled by late in the afternoon. The expo was shut down early, and the runners were pulled from the course. 

Some cycling sites and personalities online were chirping about Mid-South probably being cancelled. But I know Bobby Wintle, just a little bit, and he had been through something similar in 2020, just five years ago. I knew he wasn't about to give up easily. 

And I was right. See this announcement posted at 7:00pm on Friday evening.

UPDATE: Unfortunately Bobby's and his teams determination to continue just was not going to be the right thing to do. In another heartfelt message posted on the Mid South website late Friday evening, he announced the cancellation of Mid-South 2025.

According to the message, wildfires were destroying homes and property on the West side of Stillwater. This required the full attention of all city and county resources forcing Bobby to realize that it would not be possible to put thousands of people out on country backroads  without the assistance and backing of the local authorities.  

Comments: As a former promoter who has been stuck in an event trying to decide whether to continue onward in the face of natural forces which presented clear and present dangers, I can sympathize with Bobby Wintle and his team a little bit, I think. However; another race director who messaged me Friday evening brought up a salient point. The point being how Bobby has thousands of people to consider who have invested thousands of dollars, sponsors, who have put in tens of thousands of dollars, a community banking on the event to produce profits, and a reputation for success in all of that. 

That is a heavy, heavy load to bear. So, I - like the RD who contacted me - am thankful I am not under that massive weight. I hope Bobby and his team get the support and rest they need to recover from this, but right now, that all is probably far from their minds. 

What a tragedy. Hopefully no one looses their life or is injured making sure everyone is safe and sound during this wildfire event. Bobby did mention that there would be a way to donate to support relief efforts for Stillwater. Link to Stillwater Relief Fund