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Mike Huber runs for 25 hours in virtual marathon and he was one of 2,400 runners from 64 countries
Mike Huber was supposed to travel to Calgary in June to run an ultra-marathon in support of The Rare Disease Foundation.
Then along came COVID-19. The world was turned upside down and the marathon, like all other events across the globe, was cancelled.
However, the die-hard running community didn’t hang up their bibs. Instead they went the extra mile.
Huber along with 2,400 runners from 64 countries from around the world, took part in the first annual Quarantine Backyard Ultra – the brainchild of Albertan ultra-marathon runner Dave Proctor and a company called Peak Run Performance.
Every runner around the world started the race at the exact same time at their own home – either on a treadmill or on the road.
They had to run a 6.7 kilometer loop every hour, starting again at the beginning of every hour, until they could no longer run anymore.
If an athlete finished the loop early within the hour they got to rest for the remaining time before setting out on the next loop. However, if a participant did not finish the loop within the allotted time, they were eliminated.
“That’s the game,” said Huber.
“It’s how much time do you have to rest versus not rest,” he said.
The strategy depends on the runner. Some people like more rest, explained Huber, and some people like less so they keep moving and their body doesn’t seize up. And then you have to eat.
A two minute warning would alert athletes get on their start line and if a runner failed to start at the exact time then they were disqualified.
Times were logged on an app called Strava through the athlete’s watches.
Runners also used the teleconferencing app called Zoom to allow them to interact with other racers and live feed while running.
“What makes the race really unique, and we joke about it in the running world, there’s only one winner,” said Huber.
Huber started his race at 6 a.m. PST on Saturday, April 4, and finished at 7 a.m. on Sunday.
(04/10/2020) Views: 1,336 ⚡AMPby Collen Flanagan
