UPDATED: Raft Race Postponed

The Great Race Down the Rio Grande has been postponed indefinitely. Mayor Martin Chávez said Friday afternoon that he doesn’t want to divert resources away from the search for a teenager lost in the Rio Grande.

The race, scheduled for Saturday morning, might be rescheduled next week, the mayor said. But flows in the river have to be just right, so it’s not clear when the race will happen, Chávez said.

For now, the focus should be on the missing teen, the mayor said.

“Finding this young man is more important,” he said.

OLD POST:

It looks like the Great Race is off.

The raft race sponsored by the city of Albuquerque, which was supposed to take place on the Rio Grande Saturday, might be replaced by another event, a city spokeswoman told the Journal this afternoon. The raft event is being canceled because of the ongoing search for a 13-year-old Rio Rancho boy who went missing in the river Thursday.

More details should be available this afternoon.