What contingency plans should we make for bad weather?
What contingency plans should we make for bad weather or rain? Should we postpone if the forecast looks challenging?
Responses
Rain isn’t a reason to postpone – it’s integral to what makes this meaningful. The challenge simulates hardships faced by refugees, and displaced people don’t have luxury of waiting for perfect weather. So rain can help create that authentic experience that builds empathy.
Many participants find completing the challenge in less-than-perfect conditions enhances their achievement sense and deepens connection to the cause. The rain becomes part of the story, part of shared experience that bonds participants together!
I concur with everything that’s been said, however, safety comes first. Postpone for genuinely dangerous conditions. By that I mean things like:
- thunderstorms with lightning
- severe gales creating debris hazards
- heavy snow or ice with slip risks
- flooding
- extreme temperature warnings
You can check all this with meteorological services. If they have an extreme weather warning in the area of your challenge, you should postpone.
Rather than avoiding rain, prepare participants to thrive in it. In pre-challenge briefings, emphasise rain is expected and welcomed. Frame positively: “If it rains, we’ll get the full authentic experience!”
Make practical rain-day adjustments: station additional marshals at slippery obstacles, provide extra towels and dry clothing, ensure first aid prepared for cold issues, have warm drinks ready, mark dangerous mud areas.
The beauty of challenging conditions! Rain creates enhanced team bonding through shared adversity, deeper empathy experiencing discomfort like refugees face, greater achievement completing despite conditions, authentic simulation of displacement realities.
Establish clear decision criteria: Green light for light-moderate rain (proceed with enhanced safety), Amber for heavy rain without lightning (modified route), Red for weather warnings or extreme conditions (postpone and reschedule).
Be transparent about weather policies during registration: “This challenge proceeds in all but most extreme conditions. Rain is part of the experience, not reason to postpone.” Always remind participants they can withdraw if conditions exceed comfort.
Remember, some of the most powerful experiences happen when participants push through rain and emerge feeling incredible accomplishment. The weather becomes part of the story they tell for years – not something endured despite, but something that made achievement more meaningful!