The Cork City Marathon which was originally due to take place at the end of May 2020 has been postponed until the 6th of September.
Knowing what you know now in the middle of May, how likely do you think it will go ahead in September?
Take part in the online poll HERE
Has anyone tried social distancing at the start line of a marathon?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that one.
Lets hope it goes ahead, when do we reckon we will know?
ReplyDeleteNot a hope of any marathon this year anywhere. Even hard to see how any small scale race could go ahead without the vaccine. Large crowds running in tight spaces is a lethal combination for the spread of the virus.
ReplyDeleteSure hope it goes ahead but in the mean time we need all to have plenty of common sense and get rid of COVID-19.
ReplyDeleteIts not going to go ahead.Why not just announce now, rather than just hoping it will be fine by September, some are even saying Olympics on 2021 won't go ahead. Bleak, i know but a long way before we are back to "normal". Experts saying social distance could be with us for another year, even two.
ReplyDeletePersonally I won't be entering even if "they" say it's safe because that is just someones opinion.
ReplyDeleteA few things that I'll be avoiding that happen in most races: crowds, touching pens on signup, safety pins, race numbers, water stations, portaloos, medals, after race refreshments
No it should not go ahead
ReplyDeleteUnlikely there will be any marathons next year. Maybe u can enter it as a virtual marathon , run it, log your time, get it verified and receive medal and t shirt in the post
Of course it won't go ahead. Can't believe some people think it will.Very irresponsible if organisers go ahead, although pretty sure they will do the right thing for the safety of everyone.
ReplyDeletePublic Health is no.1 here but we also need to adapt to our new reality.
ReplyDeleteWhilst sport is only part of what we do, it is an important part of what we are for so many. We need to be creative in terms of new approaches. A Dublin Marathon type set up where 25,000 converge on a single start line i dont think is at all an option right now. Lets hope that they can put on some event or a smaller national marathon championship type race in the Autumn.
Cork Marathon by contrast and by virtue of its relatively small size has its advantages in this scenario. Numbers can still be capped. Im sure some will dispute some of my ideas below and thats fine.
• Masks Mandatory for all at start lines – virus is transmitted primarily through coughing or sneezing.
• Chip Timing and its benefits should utilised – allowing runners to go off in smaller waves , say 2-3 mins apart. Helping the issue of a mass gathering at the start line.
The 1st to cross the line may not necessarily be the race winner and this will be confirmed after the event. 99.9% of participants wont be concerned by this is any event as they are only racing themselves and the clock. Chip timing will give us all an official finishing time and our results can be collated on a leaderboard where the winner is determined by his/her chip time and not the gun time. Not the norm but what is normal anymore.
• Though difficult, like London Marathon 2 separate start lines could be looked at which could converge at a wide point in the road at say 2 miles into the race where the crowd has thinned out.
• Having to order and pay in advance for medals/tshirts for participants will be a concern for Cork Marathon. Money will be lost if these are ordered & no race takes place. Options here could be A) To order these without the yr 2020 on them so they could be re-used next year if necessary. B) don’t put in an order just yet, see how things play out and if the event does happen send out medals to finishers some time before the end of the year. I for one would be happy with my banana and bottle of water at this finish line
• A marathon expo is not required. Post out our race pack with race numbers etc.
The relay is a big part of the event and a large part of the public buy in to come out and support it. It could be more problematic in terms of finding solutions for that, this may also have a major impact on the financial viability of the event….
We may not have a vaccine for this disease anytime soon if at all. We need to adapt not give up. Sport and in this case running is a magic pill for so many issues such as mental health & obesity. We will lose so many more people to these scourges if we simply give in.
Stay positive, keep moving and who knows where we might be in a couple of months time.
All more trouble than it's worth.
DeleteJust cancel it and start fresh next year.
Agree we should'nt give up running, but as regards racing, can't see it happening anytime soon.Could be 2023/24 before vaccine available, which means social distance until then, this is just our new normal from now on.Japanese saying if no vaccine by summer 2021 unlikely olympics will be held. Realisticly thats too soon, with all testing and trials that need to be done with any vaccine.I suppose the good thing is we can build a good endurance base with our own running in the meantime!
ReplyDeleteI'd just like to say that I agree with a lot of Alan said in an earlier comment.
ReplyDeleteThe mental health effects on us all as a result of this health crisis should not be under-estimated and I think we wshould try and be creative with solutions to get back to some form of safe, socially-distanced racing when it is deemed safe to do so.
I always appreciated the benefit of running for my physical health, but even more so for my mental health. The social interaction and banter before and after races is something that I really miss.
There is also a cumulative effect on the mental health of all the restrictions that have been imposed and there's no doubt a lot of people are suffering at the moment.