ELY – The city’s Planning and Zoning Committee here received mostly positive comments last week at a public hearing held to air public concerns over the Ely Marathon.

Committee members braced for a backlash from residents and business owners at the forum, many of whom voiced their complaints on social media about the inconvenience to locals and shoppers during the running of the race.

A total of three citizens, including organizer Wendy Lindsay who said she was prepared to defend the event and the positive image it brings to the community, attended the hearing last Wednesday night. In the end, no defense was necessary as critics have either changed their minds or opted against criticizing the event in public.

Last June, as plans were finalized for the fourth annual event, more than 40 Ely businesses signed their name to a petition to alter the in-town route of the race, from Sheridan to Camp Street, to allow local access to the business district during the running of the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon qualifier. Yet, not a single petition signer, including Marolyn Mathys, who initiated the petition campaign last summer, chose to voice their opposition this time around.

Instead, several residents who did weigh-in via email, offered support. “I think the marathon route is good,” wrote Gus Smith. “It works well for the runners and volunteers, and probably causes some inconvenience for some. Any route would cause inconvenience to someone and they would be angry. A little inconvenience is worth the extra business in town.”

Shannon Harding echoed the benefits. “These routes are taking runners on a tour of the city,” she wrote. “The Ely Marathon is our opportunity to give runners a tour of our city by keeping the marathon/half marathon route on Sheridan Street.”

Bonnie Cooley acknowledged that the event is a minor inconvenience, but a temporary one. “It doesn’t last forever and there are plenty of ways around it. I think this event is great for the community and it brings people in town which helps local businesses,” she stated.

Those messages were pretty indicative of the comments received by Ely Planning and Zoning Administrator Tim Riley. He noted that he had received a total of eight comments, seven of which were supportive of the current route and only one opposed.

Ely resident Chris Chandler spoke at the public hearing last Wednesday. She said she ran over 140 races in the last 20 years, and was a race director and volunteer for dozens of races. “I have to say that this race is very well organized and very well done. One of the best things is the grassroots support. You can tell that the community is behind it,” she said.

Planning and Zoning Committee chair and Ely Police Officer George Burger said, officially, he is not aware of any issues with traffic and/or runners during the marathon.

Ely Events Bureau Coordinator Wendy Lindsay said permits and agreement from the state, county, city of Ely, city of Winton, and town of Morse are required each year. “I think if we make changes (to the route), then they too will start asking for changes,” she said, “and outside of the city of Ely, we don’t have any other options.”

She also noted that recertifying the Boston Marathon qualifier with ongoing route changes and official measurements would add more expenses to the event.

A preliminary balance sheet from the 2018 Ely Marathon shows expenses of $35,262, and revenues of $102,289. “We have not received all of our bills,” she said.

There were a total of 1,000 runners from the 5K run on Friday night and the half and full marathons on Saturday morning. “We almost doubled the number of runners from last year,” Lindsay said

The Planning and Zoning Committee did not make any recommendations or proposals following the hearing. The hearing was required, according to Burger, as part of the review process for granting the Interim Conditional Use Permit needed to hold the annual event on city streets on the last weekend of September. Committee member Mauro Caruso said any changes to the 2019 Ely Marathon will be made on an earlier timetable next year.