OUT OF THE BOX out of the box by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
Pyramid Scheme for Races
I think it is time for a rethink of the structure of road races in South Africa , as the effects of the COVID pandemic have turned things on their head and continue to pose significant challenges to races as they were traditionally presented .
With “ necessity being the mother of innovation ,” the past two years have seen running evolve as a sport . Initially we saw multiple mini-laps emerge on Strava , Garmin and other tracking devices as the world converted from the freedom of running to prison-like exercise yards utilising backyards and even balconies ! When runners were given parole to run outdoors , virtual races became the rage , with everybody doing their own thing while still being part of an event .
A bit later we could once again share the road with family , then friends ( at a distance ), followed by club runs , and this gradually blended into staggered start sojourns around the suburbs and a random return to racing . Some , not surprisingly , have even found this as satisfactory as the real racing thing .
Popularity of Racing
The desire to run races has always satisfied many motivations , from winning prize money and fame , through self-competition , to health and simple social interaction . For years , however , the World body and many national federations focused primarily on the competitive front end of road running – the elites – but as a result of two decades of sporting isolation , South Africa evolved a unique and exceptionally competent structure for road running that embraced and rewarded the masses in an amateur era .
The World is catching up , however , by acknowledging the benefits of a mass participation arm in the sport . Therefore , the international rules of road running , and their implementation , now acknowledge the differences of objective between elite and age-group , club and recreational runners . This is also reflected in the updated ASA rules , both in the definition of elite runners and the use of ‘ contender batches ’ from 2019 . Initially , this was seen as an inconvenience by some , but has proven the saviour in COVID times by maintaining the strict ‘ gun to line ’ timing of the few in elite competition , while utilising the mix of social distancing and staggered ( or rolling ) starts to cater for the objectives of the non-elite runners .
Across the world , those races that have taken place have experienced a substantial reduction in entries , and many reasons are thought to be the reason for the apparent lack of interest , ranging from a continued fear of COVID infection , the higher costs of entries , and of course , the restrictions that some events apply in terms of vaccination or testing . It has also been suggested that the loss of socialising and atmosphere at the finish is to blame , because current regulations that require runners to leave the venue immediately after finishing prevents what has traditionally been one of the key attractions of races .
A New Type of Event
The result of all this is that some ‘ club runs ,’ i . e . training runs organised by a club or person , have grown into unofficial small races , and for many runners , these runs are now more attractive from a socialising perspective , as they allow the opportunity for a chat and exchange of ‘ war stories ’ after the run . Some club runs have even been opened to other clubs , and for longer ones , a nominal fee is charged for water and seconding , such as the runs organised by Beloved Long Run in KZN , Run Zone Club in Gauteng , and Wietse Runs in the Western Province . These events can minimise costs , as they can bypass many of the regulatory requirements associated with official races , such as event permits , medical staff , formal measurement and technical officials .
A rethink of the racing structure could benefit both the top tier of elite runners , as well as the second tier and up-and-coming level of athletes
Images : Action Photo SA & courtesy Nedbank Running Club
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