Closing in on a personal record, I round the final turn to the half marathon finish line. There is silence, and then shrieks of recognition as the spectators see a runner headed down the chute. I tap into that last store of energy and break the tape at my front door, as my toddler leaps up and down yelling, “Go, Mommy, go!” Bending down for my daughter to place a medal around my neck, I smile at the homemade “FINISH” sign hanging above my head. This is road racing during a pandemic.
Had you told me a year ago that I would be embarking on my sixth virtual race, I would have spit out my Gatorade. Like most runners, I thrive on organized racing: the encouragement of the crowd, the camaraderie of other runners, the anticipation of the post-race celebration, the acrid scent of overcrowded outhouses. Actually, I could do without that last one.
What virtual racing lacks in other humans, it makes up for in flexibility (and no lines for porta-potties). Participants hit the road (or treadmill) on their own to complete a distance set by a race organizer, track their progress on a watch or phone, upload the data to an online platform, and receive a commemorative medal by mail. The starting time and place and race route are anywhere you choose. What this method of racing is missing, however, is precisely what has been absent from all elements of our lives for the last year: company.
Before we started trying to get pregnant in 2016, I spent most weekends lacing up my sneakers for a race, lubing my bike chain for a long group ride, or enlisting a fellow strongman to wrap my arms in duct tape before lifting atlas stones. Which is to say, I almost never trained or competed solo.
Then my husband and I set our sights on starting a family, which became its own challenge, with our fertility doctors as our training crew and other couples our perceived competition. I was encouraged by our doctor to scale back on intense exercise, so racing was off the table as we struggled. When I was finally able to return to the field in March 2020, after successfully conceiving and giving birth to two healthy babies in 2018 and 2019, I had all the wound-up energy of a toy race car pulled to its limit. I was ready.
Then, that month, along with everything else in the world, my first postpartum race was canceled. With a newborn, solo outings felt sacred. So, when race organizers provided the options of a refund or completing the race on our own time (with the medal and T-shirt sent by mail), I didn’t hesitate before recommitting to my goal.
As I would before a normal race day, I laid out my clothes the night before and went to bed early. Race morning looked a little different: I had a slow breakfast with my husband and my daughters, planned and then reconfigured my running route, and laced up my shoes at the start line—which was, conveniently, the end of my driveway. I hit a personal record and was home in time to hug my toddler before she left for preschool. I was hooked.
In the past year, I have completed an 8K, two 10Ks, and a half marathon; I have also run the length of the Toronto subway system and traveled the distance from Atlanta to Washington, DC, all through a virtual race organizer, all done solo. Next up: Mount Everest.
That’s the beauty of pandemic racing: You can hit the classic race distances or take a virtual road less traveled.
While this type of racing will never replace the best elements of the real thing—exchanging nervous glances at packet pickup, listening to the cacophony of hundreds of watches connecting to GPS in anticipation of the starting gun, sharing sweaty high fives—it’s a capable understudy.
As part of their pivot, most race organizers have also added online communities where runners can encourage one another (or see each other’s progress and get competitive), and some provide training programs as part of the registration fee.
In September, along with 7,000 other athletes, through Run 4 All Women (R4AW), I completed a 680-mile virtual run from Atlanta to Washington, DC, to raise funds and awareness for Black Voters Matter. As we logged our miles in the Racery app, we received notifications on the historical significance of milestones along the route in the crusade for Civil Rights. The R4AW team is working on its next event, to take place later this year.
Some race organizers offer an opportunity to travel virtually to bucket-list destinations. Founded in 2016, the Conqueror Event Series has seen an uptick in interest for its challenges in the past year. Registrants choose an event based on location and distance (I’m working on the 40-mile Mt. Everest Challenge), select a goal timeframe (which can be changed anytime), track their progress in the company’s app, and receive a medal in the mail when they complete the event. Along the way, they receive virtual postcards with information about the history of the region and the route. The company will also plant a tree each time a participant reaches a set milestone in the challenge.
Virtual racing also presents a great opportunity to try a sought-after race. It has been notoriously tough to gain entry into New York City’s NYC Half Marathon since the inaugural race in 2006. As a virtual race, it’s open to anyone. While your own course may not take you through Times Square as the real thing does, you’ll still earn a hefty medal and the chance to run “alongside” other athletes through the fitness app Strava.
Organizations like the Colon Cancer Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and American Cancer Society run events that give participants a way to add meaning to their miles, by completing a physical challenge while raising money for a cause.
Your local race organizer is likely hosting virtual events as well, which is a great opportunity to help keep a small business in your area afloat. Run Guides is a fantastic resource for most upcoming races.
This new style of racing is fairly simple: put on sneakers, step outside, start watch, go. But if you’re accustomed to the amenities of a well-organized race, know that you’ll need to tackle a few key elements yourself.
Waiting for one of the maddeningly few outhouses while nervously checking your watch is a racing rite of passage. Using your own bathroom before toeing the line? That’s living. It also means there are no thoughtfully stationed porta-potties on your route. Depending on where you live and your city’s lockdown status, that might mean masking up to use a coffee shop bathroom, or planning a pit stop at a friend or family member’s house (or backyard).
For warm-weather and longer-distance races, get ready to carry your own food and hydration (or pick a spot to stash a water bottle along your route). The most common ways to carry your hydration and food are a belt, a hand-held, or a hydration pack.
While I plan to sprint back to the energy and excitement of in-person racing as soon as it’s safe, virtual racing will hold a permanent spot in my annual racing calendar.
The you-versus-you element is compelling. I often spend much of a road race weaving around other runners during the first mile, ultimately going out too fast and burning out too soon. I enjoy having my previous track record as my only competition. Pacing by feel rather than the speed of nearby racers, has also made me a stronger, faster, more efficient runner.
There is also the convenience factor. While I will return to a race course for longer distances like half marathons where the support is helpful (hydration stations, first aid), the potential to race every weekend without leaving my house at 6:00 am and returning at noon is a great reason to keep a few virtual races in my schedule.
My post-run celebration might look a little different—the race volunteer tends to leave her post in search of squirrels, the band only plays “Baby Beluga,” and I’ll have to pony up for my own bagel and banana. But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make when the finish line is home.
- 📩 The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters!
- Your body, your self, your surgeon, his Instagram
- The untold history of America’s zero-day market
- How to have a meaningful video chat … with your dog
- All these mutant virus strains need new code names
- Two paths for the extremely online novel
- 🎮 WIRED Games: Get the latest tips, reviews, and more
- 🎧 Things not sounding right? Check out our favorite wireless headphones, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers
