The City Attorney for Council Bluffs is warning persons participating in Sunday’s purported USRA Half Marathon, that the event is not authorized and will not be supported by the City.
The event will supposedly begin and end in the Lake Manawa area. It’s being marketed as the 6th Annual Council Bluffs Half Marathon/5k to benefit Creighton University.

City Attorney Dick Wade says in the past two weeks the city has been made aware of this event. It is being advertised on the USRA website. Wade says they have been in contact with runners who have registered to take part in this event. The runners have made efforts to get their registration fees refunded because of scheduling conflicts, but are unable to get a response from the promoter. Wade says they have also heard from other groups that are coming in from out of state to take part in the event.

The promoter has not completed the proper application for the City to properly review the event, according to Wade. In addition, members of various city departments have attempted to contact the promoter, but have not been able to reach him. Without a properly submitted application, the City is unable to provide any support services for the event.
The attorney says they have contacted Creighton University who is advertised as the benefactor for this event, and no one from the University appears to have any knowledge of the event. He says also, the City contacted Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over Lake Manawa. DNR personnel have no knowledge of the event and no permits have been applied for or issued.

Wade says while the City of Council Bluffs does not intend to provide any support services for this event, and cannot guarantee the safety of the event. He says “Anyone intending to take part in this event should govern themselves accordingly.” Wade says “Anyone intending to take part in this event make every effort to contact the organizer in advance to hopefully minimize any inconvenience. “