Typically yes, but say you bought tickets to an event for the specific day before the run was announced (as I did). Say you have to work as some have to on Saturdays, or maybe you have an emergency. I'll be honest in that I don't think it's the end of the world in most scenarios and I wouldn't want to see it canceled entirely but people get to complain that the most densely packed area of the city that also has the most traffic problems gets blocked off. I wish they could move it to a different area of Bmore or have it end earlier or coordinate alternative routes and inform people earlier/better. Also if Baltimore had a better track record in taking citizen concerns more seriously there likely wouldn't be so much gripe.

Saturday is the day I have to do my chores and that always means driving around central city. Since I live in Mt Vernon, I am at ground zero of an event which I feel does not benefit the city and by the looks of it the counties do not think it would benefit them either. Few runners will be spending time, after the race enjoying a meal at a local restaurants, so there is not financial influx of money. City police are paid massive over time, at city residents expense. Then there are the toilets and other infrastructure which the city taxpayers have to foot the bill. As I said, I can accept the race, if other jurisdictions also sacrificed their resources and hosted it some years. This was done for a short while, in Hunt Valley, but they must have wised up and felt it too costly, and disruptive to the commercial establishments in Hunt Valley.

Then there is the paradox of being in the city, where the majority of runners are not from and who, as a rule are less than charitable towards, most of the rest of the year.