Suffolk Marathon’s FreedomFest canceled, but race still on, official says

A stormy and soggy forecast for Sunday led Suffolk County Marathon organizers to call off festivities that typically draw thousands.

The FreedomFest: Taste of Long Island Festival portion of the event, which was to have three stages of live music from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and benefit military veterans, has been canceled, said Jason Elan, a Suffolk County spokesman.

The Long Island Beer, Wine and Spirit Garden — also part of FreedomFest — has been canceled as well, Elan said.

All races, including the marathon, half-marathon, 5K race and 4-person relay, will go ahead as planned, officials said.

“Rain or shine, I encourage all runners to join me tomorrow for our third annual race,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in a statement.

There is a weather contingency plan for the races, including a meteorologist on call throughout the event. If a weather evacuation becomes necessary, runners will be notified by race personnel along the course to evacuate to the closest shelter, officials said.

The Suffolk marathon, a qualifier race for the 2019 Boston Marathon, was scheduled to have three events happening at the same time — the race, the festival and a beer garden.

Forecasters expect showers — possibly a thunderstorm — and high winds Sunday, spurring the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood watch for Long Island from noon Sunday through Monday morning.

With a 100 percent chance of precipitation for the day, the weather service expects especially heavy rainfall during the afternoon, ranging from 1 to 3 inches. A high wind watch was also issued for Suffolk County for Sunday evening.