Cancellation of 5K Foam Fest fun runs in US angers participants, no refunds offered

A Utah company's cancellation of an annual fun run featuring a muddy, foamy obstacle course has left participants out of money in Nevada, Oregon and other states.

Registered runners for the 5K Foam Fest set for Aug. 2 in Reno received an email Thursday from Spanish Fork, Utah-based Round House Racing saying it went out of business and the event was canceled.

Similar emails went out earlier in the week to runners who signed up through the company for the July 26 run in Portland, Oregon.

Runners said they're angry because they aren't being offered refunds after paying registration fees of up to $100. Fees progressively climbed the closer the event approached.

"It was wrong for them to take all of that money from people and then just cancel the event," Stephanie Rutherford, 26, of Reno, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. She had planned to participate with five friends.

Shellie Brandt, who signed up for the Portland run, agreed.

"To take your money and not even offer a refund is criminal," she told KATU-TV. "Maybe $60, $90, $100 is not a lot for some people, but it is for me."

The run featured from 15 to 30 obstacles per course, including several similar to ones on the ABC television show "Wipeout." Other obstacles included "army crawls, colossal walls, mud pits, cargo net climbs and slip'n slides," according to organizers.

The company did not return phone calls.

But in a message posted on its website, the company said after spending years and considerable money on 5K Foam Fest, it went out of business on Thursday and was canceling all future events in the U.S.

Future fun runs had been scheduled this year in Stockton, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; St. Louis; San Antonio; Atlanta; Des Moines, Iowa; Jackson, Mississippi; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Dallas.

"After tireless efforts to find a way to help us finish out our season, we simply can't continue to move forward," the company said. "As we face bankruptcy we ask for your forgiveness and patience."

The company also said while it no longer has any staff or funds and would be unable to respond to emails or phone calls, it would provide email updates as information becomes available.

The company further said it arranged for registered runners to receive free registration for any similar events staged by Red Frog Events in 2014 and 2015.

The Nevada Attorney General's Office is monitoring the situation and urging registered runners who paid by credit card to contact their card company to dispute the charge, spokeswoman Joye Barker said.

If the company files for bankruptcy, runners also can seek a refund through bankruptcy court by filing a proof of claim.

"Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that any registrant will be able to get their money back under these circumstances," Barker told the Reno Gazette-Journal.