Officially? We’re gutted.
We post sad emojis. We say things like “Ah, I was really looking forward to that” and “All that training, gone to waste.”
We even reshare the cancellation post with a broken heart and a comment like “Devastated. Was targeting a PB.”
Unofficially? We’re sitting in pyjamas with a cuppa, delighted.
Because no matter how much we pretend otherwise, a cancelled race, especially one we weren’t really prepared for, is the ultimate gift.
1. You Didn’t Want to Do It Anyway
Let’s be honest.
You weren’t ready.
You’d done two proper runs in the past month, spent the last week googling “Can you survive a 10K on vibes alone?” and were already planning to make the warm up your first kilometre.
You’d convinced yourself it would be fine. But deep down, you were dreading every single minute of it.
Then it gets cancelled… and suddenly your whole day has opened up like a sunny field of non suffering.
2. It Lets You Keep Your Delusion Intact
The best part about a cancelled race? You never had to find out how unfit you actually are.
- Your pace? Still unknown.
- Your stamina? Unchallenged.
- Your ego? Untouched.
You can continue believing you were in PB shape, that you would’ve smashed it, that you were “peaking” and “ready to fly.”
No evidence exists to contradict this fantasy. And that’s beautiful.
3. You Get All the Credit, None of the Pain
You trained for it.
You posted about it.
You tapered (or claimed you were).
You even carb loaded like a champion.
Now the race is off… and you still get to be the person who “was supposed to be racing today.” You get sympathy. You get admiration. You get to go for a little jog, post a photo of your number with the caption “not the day I planned”, and still eat like you’ve just run a marathon.
Result.
4. You Avoid the Risk of Failure (and the Portaloos)
You don’t have to face:
- That hill you forgot about
- That guy who always beats you by 30 seconds
- That horrible moment 4K in when you realise you went out too hard
- That finish line camera that captures your soul leaving your body
Also: no queuing for loos. No standing in the cold. No forcing down a banana you don’t want while pretending to be proud of your time.
5. It Becomes an Excuse for Everything
Race cancelled? You can now:
- Not train this week. “No point really, with the race off.”
- Buy new gear. “Just treating myself since I missed the race.”
- Eat a full roast dinner at 2pm. “I was supposed to be racing, I need the fuel.”
It’s guilt free slacking. With built in justification.
Final Word
We love races. We do. The buzz, the challenge, the t shirt we’ll never wear.
But every now and then, when the email comes through saying the course is flooded, the road’s been closed, or a local sheepdog ate the signage… we feel a small, dark, glorious sense of relief.
So next time a race gets called off and someone says, “Gutted”… just know they’re lying. And enjoying every pyjama clad, pain free second of it.
