Running with an Opportunity By Robert “the Lone Runner” Rayder
advantage is that all runners compete on the same streets or trails under similar conditions (at least in terms of elevation, inclines and so forth.) It also allows the race director to put up funny or inspirational signs and give other types of unmanned support. My favorite virtual race innovation was the creation of a “virtual crowd” of spectators where the family and friends of runners posted photos of themselves at key sites cheering on their favorite participants. The race directors created a system where submissions by supporters could be dropped off and hung on trees (or whatever) by volunteers a day or two before the race. Some people were incredibly artistic and creative with the new support system. One ingenious spectator had three consecutive life-size portraits of himself separated by roughly 50 feet. In the first rendition he held a sign that read “Running is so stupid that …” The second rendering held a different sign (same picture) that read, “… I couldn’t even be bothered to support you in person.” The final portrait was a tip of the hat to Bill Engvall, one of my favorite comedians. He famously felt that all “idiots” should carry a sign warning the rest of humanity of their “condition.” The third picture of the guy with the now familiar smiling face held a placard that read, “HERE’S YOUR SIGN.” Another member of the virtual crowd pictured a woman dressed in a moo-moo night gown apparently sleeping in a bed. The sign read, “Guess what I’m doing while you folks are paying to do this grueling race?” Obviously, peoples’ humor and creativity are not limited by the pandemic. There are now hybrid races where runners are being socially distanced on prescribed markings in various corrals and told to arrive at different times depending on their corral assignments. Disposable masks are being handed out at the start and finish areas (it is impossible
It is often in the Darkest Skies that we see the Brightest Stars.
— Richard Paul Evans
It’s a dark time to be a runner. Signature races are being cancelled, some for the first time ever. Even when the odd race goes off, one has to wonder if the coronavirus is lurking quietly within someone in the crowd. A simple cough may be totally harmless, or it might harbor a killer. It seems absurd that one has to risk one’s own health just for the sake of running. Still, we have to play with the cards we are dealt. We can decide to live in denial and put ourselves or others at risk, or we can adapt to the new reality. It is my experience that runners are a pretty adaptable lot. Fortunately, there have been some intrepid races that have found a way to press on despite everything. By far, the most common solution to the pandemic problem has been driven by the information age and would have been totally impractical even a single generation ago. It is called virtual racing. In its simplest form, a virtual race can be run over any course and at any time of day or night during a predetermined race period. Races can be run on a particular day and at a certain time, or over a series of days, or even over several weeks. The runners are responsible for keeping their own race times. Sometimes these events are run on the honor system: People submit their times without any proof. Others require a photo from a GPS watch with a time and distance on it. There was even one race where someone other than the runner had to “certify” that the participant actually ran the race in the claimed time. Gosh! A couple of races have asked runners to complete a prescribed course, albeit at different times. The major
It is called virtual racing.
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