Hey Monique,
I totally understand your concern. It’s good that Lee was able to share some information about the woodlands marathon.
I would say that that information Lee shared is very ‘participant focused’ though, and not so much about the situation that we’ll be facing as part of the people supporting it.
You are correct about the information on the website being in need of updating. All the details have not been worked through as yet, hence the information not being updated as yet.
For the marathon, there are 2 main types of role needing to be filled. Aid stations and SAG crews. Of course, there’s also Net Control.
I believe that unless you are a participant that’s actively engaged in the event (ie: running or biking (ironman)) that everyone involved will be required to wear a face covering.
For those filling ‘aid station’ assignments, it should be fairly straight forward to maintain safe distances from others. The aid stations are located at various locations on the course, in ‘the great outdoors’, where nature will be able to help with a slight breeze, to move air, and keep any virus exposure low. The aid stations are typically a small distance away from the water stations, so it should be simple to manage distancing from others involved.
For those filling ‘SAG’ vehicle assignments, the plan I’ve heard so far is that each vehicle will be provided with a supply of masks and disinfecting supplies, and that when people are provided a ride back, participants will be required to wear a mask. Additionally, after drop-off, the vehicle is required to then be disinfected before heading back out on the course. If we stick with having 2 people in the vehicle (one to drive, the other to log, communicate and help navigate), weather permitting, drive with windows down, and set up to allow a flow of exterior air, as much as possible, to minimize exposure. I am not sure, but I expect that SAG vehicles will be instructed to not load up as many people as we would previously have done.
For the marathon, they typically place a portable toilet near each aid station, and I expect that hand sanitizer will be available too, but, if I were you, I’d make sure I have sanitizer with me, so that should that supply run out, you won’t be left stranded.
Again, this is what I’ve heard so far. There may be other changes.
Ironman is too far out to know much in terms of the details, but, I am expecting to find out what is being planned there, and I will not be surprised if it’s largely similar to what the marathon is doing.
There are some other aspects regarding how things might change, particularly in regards to how the Net Control will be handled with regard to covid related changes. The more extreme end of the spectrum here is that the radio operators might actually operate remotely, and so distanced, that they operate out of their homes, versus being co-located in one spot. The final word on that has not been given though, so there’s a lot of possibilities there.
All that being said, I think it’s fairly clear that efforts are being made to minimize the risks, and yes, I will update the website.
Regards,
Peter