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Runners derailed by train
Staff Reports
Posted: September 27, 2014 - 8:33 am
Last Updated: September 27, 2014 - 1:49 pm
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Mill Race Marathon plans were temporarily derailed Saturday morning when a Louisville & Indiana Railroad train crossed the race path.
A train rolled across the marathon course less than 20 minutes after the 7:30 a.m. start as it crossed through Mill Race Park by Lindsey Street, just as waves of marathon and half-marathon runners were approaching.
That wasn't the plan, according to race organizers and railroad officials.
Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center Director Ed Reuter said marathon organizers had been assured by the Louisville & Indiana Railroad that no trains would come through. They had communicated back and forth for months leading up to race day.
"We always cooperate and stop train traffic," said John Goldman, Louisville & Indiana Railroad president. "That was our intent this morning as well."
The plan was for the train to go through before the race, Mayor Kristen Brown said.
But a young supervisor thought he had more time than what he really did to get the train through, Goldman said, and made a decision that ended up being a bad call.
Goldman said the railroad intends to look closer at what happened, especially because nothing like it has happened during his time at the railroad — and he is confident that there will not be similar incidents in the future.
Andy Pajakowski, a race organizer, tried to negotiate with railroad personnel on the scene, to no avail. Eventually, the train blew a long blast from its horn and started to move forward with runners in the vicinity.
Police managed to back runners away from the danger — but couldn't hold them back once the train came to a stop.
"We had no clue this would happen," Pajakowski said. "We worked extra hard to make sure no trains would come through. There were supposed to be no trains."
The train was forced to come to a halt, and many runners curved around the front of it to cross the tracks. Eventually, the course became so clogged that many of the runners started to climb between the train cars to get back into the race.
"Over, under or around?" was the joke at the finish line, as participants recounted how they bypassed the train.
Local police tried to stop them from climbing between the cars. But when police would stop one stream, another would start a few train cars down.
The train engineer was yelling at the runners to stop or they would be arrested, according to a Republic photographer who was taking photos at the scene.
The engineer yelled at the runners that "the train has the right of way."
Some runners — including Melissa Burgin of New York — did not attempt to cross, even though she was running for a fast time.
"I was yelling at people to stop, but no one was listening," Burgin said. "It was dangerous, the conductor was still trying to move. Shows how runners are stubborn."
She plans to email race organizers to ask if her time can be adjusted, although organizers said that may not be possible.
Goldman was apologetic about the conductor cutting it close and said he was thankful that no one got hurt. But runners should have stopped, he said.
"I get that it impacts the race outcomes for individuals, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong by climbing through the equipment," he said, adding that the trade-off for runners trying to get a personal record easily could have turned into fatal mistake.
Craig Dismore, of Columbus, was at the front of the pack and saw the lights flashing.
"I thought, 'Am I going to get stopped by a train? Really? Is this real?'" he said.
But he didn't get stopped — he was one of the last runners to make it over the track before the train rolled through the intersection.
He still finished in his goal time, but he was hoping to run alongside a friend until the course split. But that friend put forth a bigger surge to beat the train, and Dismore could not catch up.
Organizers, police and railroad officials are all relieved no one was hurt and the train was eventually able to pull away.
But then organizers got word of another train. Pajakowski was told that another train was approaching as the 5K portion of the race was getting ready to begin, but he was able to prevent that from happening.
He was standing a few feet away from the tracks — which were newly paved this week to make the crossing easier on runners and walkers — to keep the course safer.
Organizers estimated that some runners who were in the middle of the pack of marathon competitors were delayed up to two to three minutes by the train.
Mill Race Marathon organizers said the race will still be considered a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, even though it is not possible to tell which runners were delayed or went off course. The only way the race couldn't be used as a Boston qualifier for runners is if they cut the course short, organizers said. Runners who went around the train added seconds or minutes to their times, they added.
"I'm really frustrated," Dismore said. "That was a close call."
Runners cross the track in front of a Louisville & Indiana train after it dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
Half marathon runner (#1322) crosses the track after a Louisville & Indiana train dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
Runners come out of the woods to cross the track in front of a Louisville & Indiana train after it dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
Runners come out of the woods to cross the track in front of a Louisville & Indiana train after it dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
Runners look for a way around a Louisville & Indiana train as competitors after it dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
Runners climb between cars of the Louisville & Indiana train as the conductor, left, threaten arrest after the train dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
A runner falls in front of the Louisville & Indiana train as competitors tried to get around it after it dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
A Louisville & Indiana train dissected the Mill Race Marathon just as runners were entering and exiting Mill Race Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Columbus, Ind.
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