Runners turn to indoor marathons as COVID-19 postpones long-distance races

Long-distance race organisers have found new ways to hold events, by innovative means. Yes, indoor virtual marathons are the in-thing these days.

In a virtual event, a runner has to run inside their homes, on terraces, balconies or staircase to compete. Data of their running activity is then tracked by an app which records the time and venue where they are running. This data is then sent to the organisers who analyse it and declare winners.

Despite these events being indoor, the enthusiasm among runners seems quite high.

Rajshri, one of the participants of the indoor marathon events said, “Runners are born to run, there are no barriers to stop them from running. Although there is a complete lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, that does not stop me from running and I am keeping myself fit apart from doing domestic work as a housewife.”

The main motive of such events is to engage people both physically and mentally and keep them motivated. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Rishi Goyal – an organizer of one such virtual marathon – said, “In this dark hours, our team did not want to sit back and do nothing. We figured out that for running, all we need is our body. Any place can be our running ground and that is where it all began. We had the passion and our homes became the running ground.”

Be it indoor or outdoor, runners take their routines quite seriously, which is why coaches play a big role in getting runners ready for major events.

Aadesh More, an IAAF-certified running coach said, “It is really encouraging in such situations to hold an event as every individual needs to maintain their health mentally and physically. Hence, events like these keep everyone fit both physically and psychologically.”

As India fights the battle against coronavirus, long-distance runners are waiting with bated breaths to take the starting point and cross the finish line.