Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 27

SPORT MAN
SaysBy
Manfred Seidler
Ray of Hope for Racing
On 23 June it was announced that the 2020 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has officially been cancelled due to the ongoing
COVID-19 lockdown, and completely replaced by a virtual event. This news was not unexpected, but it is still a hard blow
for the sport of running in this country, as it was the last of the great mass participation events in South African running to
close its ‘real deal’ this year.
Images: Courtesy Fargo Marathon, Hamburg Marathon & Reschenseelauf
It seems virtual is the ‘way to go’ in the interim, in spite of the fact that I can
already see obvious signs of ‘virtual fatigue’ appearing amongst runners, but
ultimately, people want to run free again, with their friends, to meet at races, and
to share war stories after the run over a coffee, beer or boerie roll. The question is,
when will things go back too normal again? Theories abound, but the brutal truth is
that we simply do not know.
So, when I came across three news stories, from two different parts of the
world, about upcoming events that will actually be going ahead, I felt my hopes
rising, and I actually saw some kind of a future again. The events I am referring
to are the Hamburg Marathon in Germany, Fargo Marathon in the USA, and the
Reschenseelauf in Austria. It made me feel that there is light at the end of the
tunnel. And while it does not herald the world going “back too normal,” it does
make one sit up straighter and start to look forward to things again.
Going Ahead
The Fargo Marathon in North Dakota state is actually a week-long festival of
racing, originally scheduled in May. The event will now take place from 24 to 27
August, and will include a marathon, half marathon, 10km, 5km, kids’ race, dog
run and even a cyclothon (24km cycle race). According to Running Magazine,
the event normally attracts around 10,000 participants, which raises obvious
questions about the risks of infection spreading, but some good news is that
North Dakota is ranked 44 th out of 50 amongst US states in terms of COVID-19
levels and risks.
Even earlier is the Reschenseelauf, a 15.3km event taking place on 18 July in a
totally cordoned off area around the Reschen Lake in the south of Austria. Normally
the event has multiple mass starts covering running, walking and hand-biking, but
this year’s event will be an “individual run” instead of a race, and entries will be
limited to just 2000 – which at the time of writing were almost sold out. Hosting
the event in a closed area means there is so much more control, as entry and exit
points are limited. And let’s face it, this model of a run, versus a race, will probably
be the route many other events will need to go in the foreseeable future.
Reschenseelauf
Fargo Marathon
But by far the biggest news is that the Hamburg Marathon is looking to go ahead
as a full event on 13 September. This is a World Athletics Gold Label race, and
as such will have both a decent elite field as well as an accompanying mass
participation event, with the total number of entries for both the marathon and the
half marathon currently sitting on just under 15,000. The Hamburg organisers gave
the German Government a plan that was rubber-stamped, and many will now see
that template as the way forward for the sport.
Baby Steps
However, there always seems to be a curveball... Both the TCS New York Marathon
and the Berlin Marathon announced on 24 June that they were cancelling the
2020 edition of their events, and that announcement immediately makes one feel
despair once again. Well, close to despair, rather. The reality is that events of such
magnitude, with tens of thousands of participants, are simply too much of a risk
right now, whereas smaller events, even as big as Hamburg’s 15,000, are starting
to happen again. And that means progress.
Sadly, in South Africa the wait to get back to normal racing is likely going to
be longer, as the likelihood of big public gatherings or events taking place is
realistically only going to be allowed again in 2021. But there is seemingly light at
the end of the tunnel, and that gives me hope that running will be back in some
fashion in the not too distant future. I’ll be honest in saying that I am chomping
at the bit to see running take its place on the South African sporting scene again,
because like many, I am feeling starved of the interaction at the races, of seeing
the front end of a race explode into action, and seeing people of all walks of life
overcoming their obstacles and fears.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Manfred Seidler is a freelance sport journalist who has been in the industry
since 1994, in both print media and broadcasting, covering four Olympic
Games for SABC Radio, and producing various athletics shows for the SABC.
Follow him on Twitter: @sportmansa; Facebook: Sport Man SA; Instagram:
sportman_sa.
Hamburg
Marathon
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