Runners find new ways to get leg up in competition with virtual races

On a Friday evening in late June, three runners leaned over a starting line at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona, each with one hand on her watch.

Then they were off. It was just like any other cross-country race — except their competition was invisible:

A trio of rival runners raced them in a nearby state as thousands of fans watched on a split-screen live Instagram video feed.

Some coaches and race organizers have innovated after being forced to scrap plans for prestigious track and marathon events. They’re making the best of a time without in-person competition by hosting virtual races and pitting runners in different locations against each other.

While Arizona was under a stayat-home order in April and May, Ben Rosario’s Hoka Northern Arizona Elite professional distance running team went more than a month without training together. When the order was lifted, the head coach hatched a plan.

He partnered with another pro team in Colorado to host a time trial. Both teams would run a 2-mile course, starting at the exact same time and compare results. Both squads would livestream the race on Instagram on a split screen so fans could watch from home.

Stephanie Bruce, the first woman to finish, said it was difficult to imagine racing the Boulder runners while running the course. But fans enjoyed the competition — more than 15,000 people watched after the videos were posted to Instagram

“It’s the Instagram for runners,” said Kalea Chu, a runner at the University of Kansas. “It’s keeping up with your teammates, so you can get back together and be on the same page.”

But virtual racing can tide the pros over only for so long.

Emma Coburn, the American 3,000-meter steeplechase record-holder, was able to participate in a real race in June. She ran a 4 minute, 32 second mile, breaking the Colorado state record in a meet limited to members of her pro track club.

“We can’t replace our competitive needs by just a virtual run,” Coburn said, adding that she does think virtual racing has “opened the world up” as runners from different countries race each other.

‘It’s the Instagram for runners. It’s keeping up with your teammates, so you can get back together and be on the same page.’ Kalea Chu,

Runner at the University of Kansas

THE NEW YORK TIMES As the pandemic makes gatherings difficult, runners including longdistance competitor Stephanie Bruce in Arizona are turning to technology to train, connect and compete.