Another Friday and another round of links from running and around the world that are worth a look.
1. Running on empty: Coronavirus has changed the course for races big and small
Races cancelled. Runners waiting to see if summer and fall races will be held. This article sheds light on the state of the race industry (I had no idea how many sub-contractors can be involved in getting a race run) and how COVID will change the business side of running. Before reading this I had not been high on the idea of signing up for virtual editions of my favorite races but one race director’s explanation, that races should be viewed more as local businesses than as yearly events changed my perspective and has made me re-think that stance.
2. Ahmaud Arbery: The Continued and Condoned Lynching of Black America
An uncomfortable but necessary read for the running community. This is a story that has left me feeling helpless and feeling shame that helplessness has been all I can muster. The hours that I lace up my shoes and head out the door for my run are often the best moments of any given day. I do so knowing that I need not worry about the neighborhoods I will be running in and that no one will care how I dress. Far too many of my fellow runners are not allowed that luxury. Runners need to know why this is true, and this article clearly traces through history why the black community cannot enjoy that safety that I can. To confront a problem we must acknowledge it exists and understand why. Then we must work in ways large and small to correct this tragic wrong.
3. May 6: a historic date for Roger Bannister, Eliud Kipchoge and the running world
For the running history nerds among you, last week saw anniversaries of two of the more meaningful days in running lore. A quick history read that might inspire some poking down a few rabbit holes.
4. Grand illusion: how the pandemic exposed we’re all just pretending
In discussing COVID with people my age, often the same question has been asked: just what else can happen to us? I am an older Millennnial; three weeks into my freshman year of college I woke up to the horror of 9/11 and saw the world reshaped by its economic and societal ripples. This was followed seven years later by the Great Recession and now COVID. Three generation-shattering events and all in the first 18+ years of my adulthood. It is good to be reminded of these things, to recognize that if we are not where we thought we’d be or where we wanted to be, it is not all a reflection of our individual faults. It is important we recognize this and exercise self-compassion.
Adam Wheeler Runs 