By Adolfo Salgueiro
The new normal for the pre-run picture
After 28 days in quarantine and strictly running around my home, I ventured out on a Saturday to the site where I usually meet my friends for long runs. At the other side of the parking lot I saw David and we had a nice chat from about 25 feet. Further down the road I crossed paths with Alfredo, who gave me an enthusiastic hi and we had a quick talk. Later, Andy caught up with me and offered me an elbow.
For day 35 I accepted an invitation from a group of friends and met at the parking lot of our local running store. We were 10 people, all super happy to see each other after a hiatus. We opened our arms 6-feet apart from each other to send virtual hugs, blew kisses from a distance and used the wide angled lens to fit everyone in the pre-run mandatory picture.
With the latent possibility of Covid-19 returning in the fall, with the valid proposition of not having a vaccine for about a year and a half, and with the 2020 Berlin Marathon already in limbo, I started thinking:
What will the Post Covid-19 running scene will be like?
I believe social distancing will become the new norm. There is no way around it. Covid-19 will not be the last new virus we will experiment in our lifetime but, hopefully, nations will now be ready to avoid another pandemic. The pre-run group pictures, large groups of runners, high-fiving, sweaty hugs and large post long-run breakfasts, unfortunately, may become a thing of the past.
What will happen with racing?
This is one of my biggest worries. Very few run just so we can race, but most of us love to race in order to celebrate our training. Social distancing cannot work with the Marathon Majors, or the Miami, Los Angeles or Philadelphia Marathons which regularly gather over 20,000 runners. Even 1,000 runners seem like too much right now. Keeping participants 6-feet apart at the start means corral areas longer than 3 or 4 miles for huge races as well as logistic nightmares at finishing areas, even for smaller races. What about water stops, volunteers or spectators? Sure, we still have our local 5Ks, with just 200 or 300 runners, but is that the celebration of your training? Maybe virtual races will become more than just a way to increment the size of your medal rack. I hope we don’t have to get there.
Will we continue enjoying our running without the social component?
What will happen to the post long-run breakfasts with friends?
I passionately believe that most of us run because we love it. If we didn’t, we would be practicing another sport. Yet, the social benefits of our activity of choice are undeniable. Some of my dearest friends were met while running. When my fellow team members put together a birthday celebration after one of our runs, I realized how much they meant to my life. I look forward to the post long-run breakfast every Saturday morning. The post run burgers-and-beers on Thursday nights has become such a highlight in my week that I once asked my doctor to push back a medical procedure because I had a scheduling conflict. Sure, we can run without friends, but I can’t fathom missing this aspect of running
What will the “new normal” be like?
I wish I knew. It is impossible to know, as even Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC are still trying to figure out this pandemic. What I do know is that we will overcome this, and we will create and adjust to a “new normal”. It is not like there is an option. We did so in our daily lives after 9-11. We adjusted our financial outlook and behavior after the Great Recession. We became more vigilant after the Boston Marathon bombing. And these are just 21st Century examples. Humanity has proven its resiliency and will find a way. I hope and pray that you, reader, are openminded enough to adjust to the new reality that it is already being created around you.
Always moving forward!