Dear athletes, parents, spectators and coaches,

At the conclusion of the Wheeling Park Fall Classic boys’ race it was brought to our attention that there was a hornets’ nest near the two mile mark. At least two runners were stung by hornets and after members of our race committee located the nest it was decided that racing under the nest would put the girls at an unnecessary risk.

We hastily changed the course to the middle school course with some additions. After the conclusion of all the races we measured the distance and the distance of the girl’s race was exactly 2.5 miles. While that distance is not ideal it was the best we could do under the conditions.

While we certainly apologize for the inconvenience of the delay and the shortening of the course we felt that to knowingly run where the hornets were located would have been irresponsible at best. We thank you for your patience and attendance at the Wheeling Park Fall Classic and hope to see you next year.

Jacob Galik

Head Cross Country Coach

Wheeling Park High School