The Coronavirus Outbreak Puts Running into Perspective

644

On February 18, I wrote an article in response to the news that the 2020 Tokyo Marathon had been canceled for the general public over fears of the spread of the coronavirus. At the time, Japan, a country of over 120 million people, officially had around 500 active cases—a number that has remained relatively stable. (Three weeks later, on March 11, the World Health Organization listed the number of confirmed infections in Japan at 568.) Meanwhile, in China’s Hubei province, where the current outbreak began and where cases numbered in the tens of thousands, a government-mandated mass-quarantine strategy had given rise to zany stories of cooped-uprunners doing ultramarathons in their living rooms

It all sounded exotic, mildly absurd, and very far away.

Things have changed. In the manner of the horror movie motif where some vague menace is perceptible in the distance, and then suddenly right there in front of you, COVID-19 has proliferated in the United States in recent days; as of Friday morning, the number of confirmed cases had surpassed 1,600—up from 70 at the start of this month. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic, as leaders around the world responded with varying degrees of alarm. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany who is not typically known for hyperbole, coolly noted that it was conceivable that up to 70 percent of the German population could become infected. After initially downplaying the severity of the threat, President Trump has now barred foreign nationals coming from 26 European countries from entering the United States. Meanwhile, the availability of COVID-19 tests in this country—to say nothing of ICU-unit beds—remains dramatically inadequate. To quote the activist and epidemic historian Mike Davis, the monster is at our door. 

Needless to say, running events around the world have also been impacted, with new reports of race cancellations coming on a weekly (if not daily) basis. After major European marathons like Rome and Paris were either suspended or called off entirely, stateside races have followed suit. From high-profile track meets like the New Balance Indoor Nationals, to major road races like the NYC Half, to fringe DIY-type experiments like the Speed Project, the outbreak’s impact has been felt across the sport. On Friday morning, the Boston Athletic Association announced that this year’s Boston Marathon, which was originally scheduled for April 20, would be postponed to September 14. This marks the first time in the race’s 124-year history that it will not take place in April. 

Read more at: https://www.outsideonline.com/2410772/amateur-runners-coronavirus-pandemic

You might also like