Children’s Day is scheduled for the first day of the event. From 9 am to 2 pm there will be a race “Happy for babies” for the youngest participants. During this time, a distance of 200 meters and 400 meters is also planned, while the 4.2-kilometer-long “Family Race” will start at 3 p.m. The start of all the mentioned events is planned at the Freedom Monument.
At the start on August 28, all participants in the competition area will have to observe the distance and parents will have to wear face masks (except on the tracks).
Short distance participants – children (all participants under 12 years) do not need bracelets, however, they are definitely needed for all adults who will accompany children to the event.
In the “Family Race”, absolutely all participants need bracelets (green or yellow). Even if the participant of the “Family Race” is under 12 years old and the test is not necessary, the yellow bracelet will have to be removed. It will not be possible to start the family race without a bracelet.
The organizers invite relatives not to attend the starts of the youngest runners this time, when only children with accompanying persons arrive on Children’s Day.
The event with longer distances, including a marathon and a half marathon, will continue on Sunday.
The organizers of the marathon say that the organization of the marathon and the safety protocol have been coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) and the Latvian Athletics Union.
The safety protocol of the event has been adapted to the epidemiological situation, providing for the launch of three different safety levels. The green start will gather and provide a joint start for vaccinated and Covid-19 diseased participants with a valid European Union (EU) digital certificate. Participants with a negative Covid-19 test will start in the yellow start and will start with an individual start time. In turn, the Virtual Start is intended for those participants who do not want to start in person or take a test.
To enter the start area, participants will need a special marathon green or yellow bracelet, which will provide an opportunity to start in the so-called Green or Yellow start.
The green bracelets will be intended only for participants who have been vaccinated or become ill with Covid-19 and will be able to start in the joint start. The green (joint) start of the 42-kilometer distance will take place on Sunday, August 29, at 7 am, the green start of the 21-kilometer distance at 9 am, and the green starts of the ten-kilometer and 5.5 km distances at 12 noon. Winners of green cuffs can ignore the individual start interval indicated on the number to start in the joint green start.
The yellow bracelets are only for participants who have taken the Covid-19 test and will start scattered all day long. For the participants of the yellow start, arrival at the start number within the specified time interval will be mandatory and critical to ensure the smooth and safe course of the event. In the start area, these participants will have to cover a distance of two meters, start individually at intervals of five to ten seconds, which will be regulated by the event leaders.
Special stickers on the asphalt will help to distance the yellow starts, providing a distance of at least two meters for each participant of the yellow start. In the start and finish area, the yellow participants will have to wear masks, keep their distance, and there will be no delays.
The organizers remind that the start and finish areas will be deliberately inconvenient for spectators, both with enclosures and this year without grandstands, concert stages or other entertainment elements, so nothing can be missed.
The organizers invite Rigans to be understanding regarding traffic restrictions by getting acquainted with them in detail on the event or on the website of the Riga City Council.
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