How to run a virtual marathon

KNYSNA NEWS – The first weekend of the Knysna Oyster Festival got underway last week, with the sporting side of things being represented by the two virtual races - the Virtual Knysna Forest Marathon and the Virtual Houtkapper Trail Run.

Both races form part of a revised "limited edition" of the Knysna Oyster Festival that saw its initial roster change somewhat following the announcement of lockdown level 4 by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 27 June.

The revised restrictions prohibited gatherings of any kind, and this naturally meant no physical sport races or events could take place.

While some races and events were cancelled, others such as the Forest Marathon and the Houtkapper vowed to go ahead, albeit in a virtual space. The new formats afforded people right across the country and the globe the chance to take part in the event in the safety of their own homes or towns, so long as they were able to track their runs and prove that they had indeed run the distance they signed up for.

Both runs started with their main days on 10 and 11 July, with participants needing to run and track their chosen distance anywhere they wish before submitting their "evidence" along with some photos to the race organisers.

Both races afforded participants the chance to travel to Knysna and run the routes locally, albeit with a few tweaks to the routes.

Entrants were also still given the goods they would have received had the races gone ahead normally, such as buffs and shirts. The race organisers have been overjoyed by the reception and participation in the events that illustrate a general desire and hunger for races to return. Both the Houtkapper and Forest marathons will continue virtually until Sunday 18 July.

Wynand Pretorius took his Houtkapper to the trails.