Believe it or not, marathons used to be an interactive and exciting experience for those competing — and for those cheering them on. But that was before the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the number of people finishing large timed races has dropped by nearly 95%, according to the Wall Street Journal, and the number of people watching and cheering from the sidelines has decreased even more due to restrictions on large gatherings. Meanwhile, officials are struggling to figure out how to maintain the integrity of their races while also keeping runners safe.
In New York City last week, officials tried a new method. A 4-mile race was broken up into six separate 50-runner heats, held every 30 minutes, so as to comply with New York’s coronavirus guidelines. Instead of starting off as one big group, runners went off two by two, 10 seconds apart. Each runner had to wear a mask, which wasn’t ideal, though it was necessary, according to Jim Heim, the senior vice president of events and the race director for New York Road Runners. As a result, a race that typically draws about 5,000 runners only had 300.
The road race industry isn’t the only one in the sports world preparing for setbacks. Even the Olympics was postponed, and some sports columnists believe that when it does take place next year, it won’t be a mass spectator event.
“Now, I think everybody’s looking at this and saying, How long will this go on?” sports agent Merhawi Keflezighi told the Wall Street Journal. “I think as an industry, we have to be prepared for this to last into the end of 2021.”
But the problem is that many of these sports can’t afford to operate on a smaller scale. Road racing, specifically, depends on the high volume of runners competing. A large turnout helps fund the maintenance costs of the race, as well as the prize money given to the winner. Without this prize money, elite competitors won’t be attracted to compete, giving national broadcasters less of a reason to show up too.
The people who love to run, as crazy as they are, will still show up. But the experience won’t be the same thanks to COVID-19. Then again, will anything still be the same?
