COVID Schedule -- Fall, Winter, Spring '20-'21

[Andrew A.]

We are less than a month from the "sanitary bubble" London marathon elite-only criterium course race, looks like a strong field! Kipchoge vs. Bekele, namely. With no bridges (yes?) on this course, perfect conditions could lead to a WR shot.

What other pro race options are there for fall? I have heard there will be an 8-team race series between Hansons, Atlanta TC, NAZ Elite, Team Boulder, ADP, et al. that will culminate in October with an ekiden and half-marathon.

I see just about every significant marathon in Japan through the end of February has canceled - http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2020/09/2021-kochi-ryoma-marathon-canceled.html - with the exception of Fukuoka and Tokyo which are still TBA. I expect the same to happen in the US and Europe though it would be nice to see a vaccine in widespread use by Patriots Day 2021.

 

[imnothammer]

I am really looking forward to watching the London bubble race! So far as what else is still out there, there are still two more dates on the Diamond League calendar, although you're probably after road races here.

I imagine that Tokyo may be another elite-only field in 2021 (on the plus-side they already have experience with the 2020 running) and that Boston may also be pushed back into the fall, but I hope to be proven wrong on both counts there.

Looking even further down the line, the 2021 Olympics will feel so bizarre if they go forward in a "normal" capacity.

 

[Andrew A.]

Great point about the DL, it simply slipped my attention that it was still ongoing after that incredible 5000m WR. There are a couple of local meets aimed toward the elite/pro ranks, should anyone want to check in on the domestic scene. I am guessing they will be streamed online via one of the usual platforms.

Given nothing definitive has been announced for Tokyo yet, we may be in for a long wait-and-see game. Without a widely available vaccine, I would expect there to be a 14-day quarantine for any foreigner going into Japan still in place in March, which I do not believe was a requirement for this year. Incidentally, this is the primary reason my family is not traveling to Japan for a while.

I do wonder if there will be enormous (financial, etc.) pressure to go ahead with the Olympics in 2021, given the huge costs involved in delaying them one year. I could see it being an athlete-only affair with either documented proof of vaccine, a round of testing when arriving, or 14-day quarantine for all athletes, coaches, physios, etc. prior to competition. We are getting used to spectator-free events right now so I could see the games going forward in empty stadia - refunding tickets (even if just partially) has to cost less than an additional year delay.

 

[Andrew A.]

http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2020/09/fukuoka-international-marathon-to-go.html?m=1
Fukuoka is on, and ostensibly will be a fully domestic field, which could be intriguing given the number of sub-2:10 Japanese men in the past few years. Maybe it'll look like a grudge (re)match between MGC competitors -- even to include the 3 on the Japanese men's Olympic marathon team!