New York ( CNN ) -- They never got to run their race because of Superstorm Sandy , but ING New York City Marathon entrants can now at least recoup their entry fee , organizers of the marquee 26-mile test of human endurance said Thursday . Citing `` extraordinary circumstances , '' the New York Road Runners organization is offering runners the option of getting a full refund of their entry fee . Entry fees for the canceled 2012 race varied from $ 216 for members of the New York Road Runners and $ 255 for non-members to $ 347 for runners from outside the United States . The refund offer exclude an $ 11 processing fee , race organizers said . Race organizers also offered two other options -- a guaranteed place in the always-crowded field for the New York Marathon one year during the next three years , or guaranteed entry into the NYC Half Marathon in March . But in those cases , runners would not get back their fees for this year 's race and they would have to pay fees for whichever future race they chose . Runners vented frustrations about the latter two options on the marathon 's Facebook page , complaining that they unfairly created a one-race-for-two-fees deal . Meanwhile , John Shostrom , captain of the Brooklyn Road Runners , told CNN the offers by marathon organizers gave runners `` a decent range of options to choose from . '' The situation is `` really good for people who are leaning toward option one ( refund of 2012 entry fee ) . '' Shostrom , a copy editor for Sports Illustrated , said Thursday . But the other two options make for `` an income maximizer for the Road Runners in terms of all those people who feel like they really have to do another race ... it 's a way of getting double payment for one actual race . '' Whichever options runners choose , a considerable total amount of money is involved . For the 2011 New York City Marathon , more than 47,000 runners paid their fees and pounded the pavements on a 26.2-mile course that snaked through all five of the city 's boroughs . The 2012 marathon , scheduled for November 4 , was canceled for the first time in its history so as not to draw resources and attention away from the response to Superstorm Sandy , which had blasted the New York and New Jersey areas only days before . By the scheduled race day , many areas were still without electricity and thousands of people were in need of aid . Just as the cancellation marked a first for the marathon in its 42-year history , race organizers pointed out that the refund offer also was a first . `` We started with the premise that despite ( organizers ' ) no-refund policy , we needed to be able to offer runners that choice . Beyond that , we wanted to make sure they had as full options to run again as possible , '' Mary Wittenberg , president and CEO of New York Road Runners told CNN in an e-mail . Wittenberg said while race organizers would have liked to have offered waived entry fees for other events , `` we could n't do that protect our other races and running programs . '' Runners have until January 25 to choose an option .
The New York City Marathon was canceled in the wake of Superstorm Sandy . Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Or runners can opt for guaranteed entry into an upcoming race .