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Organisers of the Swindon Half Marathon cancelled the race 11 days prior to the scheduled September 19 race date. They told entrants that the race is keeping 75 per cent of the registration fees. The early bird fee was as low as £37 or $51 USD.

The e-mail message that the organisers sent out read:

“Unfortunately, with such high non-negotiable contractor fees to meet, it is now clear that we’re unable to offer full refunds without compromising the future of our business and all forthcoming events.

With remaining funds and the number of runners requesting a refund, we’re able to make an equal offer of 25 per cent of the paid entry fee to all those making a refund request.”

The race organiser’s brand is The Race Organiser. The company owns several branded events and series that offer track, trail, triathlon events as well as the Rugby, Maidenhead, and Frome Half Marathons. They re-branded the Swindon Half Marathon to the New Swindon Half Marathon.

Apparently, the terms and conditions in the registration process indicate that in light of possible cancellation, The Race Organiser can retain 75 per cent of the funds from registration fees.

However, Athletics Illustrated attempted to register for an available event and the full terms and conditions were not readable until after the credit card was provided and the shopping cart process was finished. There appeared no way to view the full terms and conditions in advance. There appears, however, to be a snippet of the terms and conditions that must be agreed upon before going through with the purchase.

There was no response from the organisers in a request for comment e-mail message.