JOPLIN, Mo. —
An instruction that the city, the Joplin Sports Authority and the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau work together to put on the Mother Road Marathon came Monday night from the City Council.
The decision followed a discussion that included a curt exchange between a council member and a representative of the hotel district.
Tim Cox, the new director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, sought direction of the council because the two key figures involved in putting on last year’s inaugural run and the hired race director are no longer in the picture.
The October marathon was the brainchild of former CVB Director Vince Lindstrom. It was planned by a committee of volunteers from cities along Route 66 from Joplin to Commerce, Okla., led by Lindstrom and the former director of the Joplin Sports Authority, Patrick Tuttle.
Lindstrom, who retired Nov. 1 and was succeeded by Cox, had hired Reinke Sports Group of Winter Park, Fla., a professional marathon consultant, to handle the marketing and entries, and assist in guiding plans for the event. But a disagreement took place when police organizations in the other states said they had agreed to give their services to help bring off the run believing it was a nonprofit or charity event. Dean Reinke was paid and then received a settlement from the city after a disagreement over his pay and who had rights to continue the event.
That lawsuit has delayed planning efforts for this year’s run, which is set for Oct. 9. Cox wrote the council a memo seeking guidance on how to proceed with the planning and suggesting three possibilities. One choice was that a nonprofit group could be formed involving the volunteer organizations from last year, and that a director could be hired to run the nonprofit. Another was to turn it over to the Joplin Sports Authority, which has experience in running sports events. The third was to leave it to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Ultimately, a motion by Councilman Benjamin Rosenberg, calling for the city, CVB and sports authority to collaborate on directing the race, was approved in a unanimous vote.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of Tuesday’s Joplin Globe or register for our E-Edition at joplinglobe.com.
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