The coronavirus is forcing athletes, both professional and amateur, to improvise. The driveway is the new marathon track, the stairwell is the best cardio workout available, and milk jugs can make for pretty good weights.
Anything you can do to stay active will help, according to former javelin thrower James Campbell, who decided to run a marathon in his backyard just for the hell of it. “What was the most stupid thing I can do to create a little bit of excitement for myself?” Campbell recalled asking himself. “I will run a marathon in my garden.”
And that’s exactly what he did. He marked a track with duct tape and began running in a figure-eight pattern over and over again until he hit 26.2 miles a boring 5 hours and 5 minutes later, according to the New York Times.
The driveway marathon has since become an internet phenomenon, with dozens of runners uploading pictures of their GPS-tracked laps to social media.
Professional athletes have had to get creative, too. After being quarantined for two weeks, NBA star Stephen Curry ordered an outdoor Spalding hoop and spent five hours putting it together. Curry admitted that his inconvenience is worth very little compared to what the rest of the country is experiencing, but it’s still been difficult to adjust to life without basketball, he told the Wall Street Journal.
“I feel like a little 12-year-old kid out there, running around, simulating game shots in my driveway,” he said.
Shooting hoops in the driveway might not be the best substitute for professional training, but at least Curry’s workouts haven’t ended in disaster. MLB pitcher Joe Kelly can’t say the same. During what was supposed to be a routine throwing program in his backyard, the right-handed Kelly missed the net completely and shattered a window in his guest bedroom — and the whole thing was caught on tape.
“Let’s just say I’m not very good at throwing this thing yet,” Kelly said, holding up the hockey-puck-like device he’s been using to track his throwing speed. “I’m just not as good.”
