Despite marathon cancellations, more runners than usual

Marathon is more than a run. Runners of all ability classes have one and the same goal, prepare for months or even years afterwards, and when the time comes, they share the 42.195 kilometers. Everyone can be happy about the success of the other. The cancellation of the Chicago marathon in October is the latest failure of a sporting holiday. Tens of thousands of runners enliven the streets of the city during the big races, supported by thousands of volunteers and cheered on by millions.

An incredibly highly trained elite runs in the front, casual athletes tackle the distance in hiking groups in the back. The loneliness of the long-distance run turns into a folk festival, into a shared experience of effort, often painful success and exhausted satisfaction. This fusion of amazement and being there will also be absent this year from Berlin, Boston and New York, probably also from London and Hamburg, which postponed their runs from spring to autumn, as well as Frankfurt. Mass events are high-risk events.

Top athletes lose their livelihood with the runs. Organizers, including the smaller races, are facing economic ruin. And: one would think that recreational runners lose their drive. But the appearance speaks against it. No challenge in sight, no competition far and wide. And yet there seem to be more runners on the roads and paths than ever, and certain running shoes are simply not available in stores. This certainly has to do with the fact that until recently, joint training in most sports fell victim to contact blocks and distance requirements. Many sports halls remain closed. To compensate, there is a run around the quarter, a trot with friends.

More committed runners turn their sport into a way of life. The big competition, the marathon, is proof of their performance, which is based on daily use. This regular run, which eventually turns into a pleasure from drudgery, the infamous fight against the inner bastard, is actually the most beautiful goal of cross-country skiing. Everyone knows: Not the marathon is healthy, but the training for it. This spirit, it seems, animates the mass of runners. In any case, she needs staying power until the next competition.