My cousin almost died this year at the annual Run the Chop Challenge in West Chop, an iconic Fourth of July tradition in our family. On a 90-plus-degree day, incompetence trumped basic safety — and basic humanity.
To name just a few of the failures.
Organizers botched the allegedly USATF-certified course, pointing runners the wrong way and stretching the supposed 5.25-mile race to 5.9 miles.
Fewer water stations than advertised, during an official heat advisory.
Zero electrolytes on the course or at the finish line.
Unclear road designations, which caused runners to weave their way through active traffic.
The DJ scratching “we need a m-m-m-edic, wicka wicka…” into his set as my cousin lay unconscious.
EMTs idling in a circle by their ambulances 200 yards away, taking over 10 minutes to stroll over after my cousin collapsed (one of multiple victims).
And when my cousin was finally loaded into the ambulance, officials barred his wife from riding with him.
If not for the doctor and nurse racers who stepped up, this letter might have ended very differently. This year’s race was a disgrace from start to finish. This event can be better – it must be.
Jack Stone
Oak Bluffs
This article appears in July 10, 2026.
No signage or police detail!
Very unsafe!
Traffic backed up in multiple spots.
Hard for police car to get through.