Leeds City Council's shock cancellation of the Leeds Half Marathon, has already sparked runners to start a petition calling for the 22-year-old race to be reinstated, as well as writing dozens of angry letters and emails.
They are throwing ideas into the melting pot in the hope they can either force the council into a U-turn or find an alternative way to ensure the popular 13.1 mile challenge is not lost for good.
One suggestion was that rival running clubs could join forces to organise the road race.
Paul Furness, a member of Valley Striders running club, Alwoodley, Leeds, said: "If three or four clubs could get together, I'm sure between them they could continue it."
He added: "I would hope that could be an option."
The council called off the race so it could focus on the 10k Jane Tomlinson Run for All, which upped its entries from 8,000 to 12,000 this year.
The inaugural Run for All last year was organised by Rothwell mum-of-three Jane three months before she lost her seven-year battle with cancer.
This year the two races were scheduled to take place within around five weeks of each other.
But runners across Leeds are bitterly disappointed by the loss of the race, as it was the only one of its kind held in the city and Leeds already has a 10k race – the Abbey Dash - now in its 24th year.
Most who contacted the YEP to express their frustration said they could not believe Jane, who competed in several ironman contests, would have approved of the decision to delete such an important milestone.
One reader emailed: "To cancel it this year, especially in memory of a remarkable marathon runner, is perverse.
"I didn't know Jane Tomlinson, but I can't imagine she'd have appreciated this move."
Last year's Leeds Half Marathon had its biggest turnout, with more than 5,700 taking part.
Valley Striders chairman Bob Jackson said it would be a tall order for clubs to take over the organisation, without the support of the council and the police. But he said it would be very easy for the council to backtrack.
"They've got the organisation in place. It's just a matter of doing exactly the same as they did last year."
He said: "I'm hoping this will get the council to re-examine their decision because they have got 22 years of experience of putting on the race and it shouldn't really cause a problem to reinstate it."
Colin Morath, president of Abbey Runners, said he expected the club as a whole would be signing a petition to keep the race.
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