BENGALURU : When Anubhav Karmakar participated in the virtual London marathon recently, he suddenly decided to drop out after the 30-km mark. It was an unusual decision for Karmakar, who challenges himself on the race track, and emerged as the fastest Indian in the New York City Marathon in 2019. “With my pace dropping, I could not find the energy that fuels an athlete at the virtual event.
I just looked at it as training ground and didn’t want to push myself. After recovering, I completed the remaining 12 km in the evening ,” says Karmakar, who, nonetheless, has signed up for the upcoming virtual NYC Marathon. “The lockdown slowed down the practice sessions, and I could not put in more than 90 km a week, while I was otherwise clocking in 130km,” he says.
Going virtual may be the buzz word in these times, but athletes are still grappling with this idea. Take, for instance, Deepti Karthik, who took part in the virtual Boston Marathon, but has decided not to sign up for anymore until she can actually participate in the ‘real’ races. “That motivation that is there at an international race is completely lacking.
Having attended several of them, it’s nothing short of a carnival,” says Karthik, who completed the run in 4.12 as opposed to her target of a sub-four. She has also put off her goal of completing the six world majors, which she had originally wanted to this year, indefinitely. “I have another three to go, but I am fine with the wait. The virtual races are not my kind,” she says.
Though Dr Harish Vasista, who ran the virtual London race, echoes similar sentiments of the experiences being incomparable, he soaked in this different vibe. With a cyclist accompanying him with his hydration and nutritional requirements, and his wife, and running group, Pace Makers, cheering him on, Vasista ran at Hesaraghatta Lake. “I did the best I could after having registered just 30 days before the event.
It might not have been my personal best at 3.48, but there were a lot of hurdles in training under the lockdown,” he says. Gauri Jayaram, founder of Active Holiday Company, which is the official tour operator for India for the six world major marathons, points out that small sign-up numbers, no cheering, and lack of a congregation have given rise to the luke-warm response to the virtual concept.
“That adrenaline rush that runners experience helps them push themselves at moments when they want to give up. Runners like to interact with each other and share stories, which is missing now,” she says.
As she has been dealing with cancellations this year, she finds that a large number of usual participants have defer red their participation to next year, while many asked for a refund. “Dates for the world majors are mostly announced, with most being pushed to the second half of the year. This is a sign which gives many hope,” says Jayaram.
How it works
A virtual race is run remotely after registering for it. Different races have different methods. For instance, participants in the virtual 2020 Boston Marathon were required to complete the 42.2 km distance within a six-hour time period and provide proof of timing to the Boston Athletic Association.The timing is recorded on GPS watches, which is then uploaded on the marathon website.