HOW WILL THE TRAIL RUNNING SEASON 2020 GO? WILL THE ULTRA OF THE MONT BLANC, THE TOR, TAKE PLACE?
How will the trail running season 2020 go and what will happen to the ultra trails around the Mont Blanc or the Tor? These are some of the questions submitted by the trail runners of all over the world which are still difficult to answer. We can, however, try some assumptions on the basis of the provisions or anticipations that the main European Federations have already issued or are working on in recent weeks.
In Italy and Great Britain the Athletics Federations estimate to progressive go back to sports activities starting from the 31st of May, while all regular competitions should be postponed to the month of July, starting with local events with a limited number of participants. Obviously, these indications must be interpreted as declarations of intent that depend very much on the speed with which we will be able to get out of the Coronavirus emergency.
In France the real restart of sporting activity, understood as participation in competitions, is more clearly specified. The recovery period, according to the Athletic Federation, should begin at the end of July in line with the athletes need to gradually resume training after a period of forced “reduced activity”. A sudden restart could favor the onset of injuries due to the short period available to recover the ideal physical shape. In France, it should be also underlined that, if the situation does not worsen, already starting from May, trail runners will be able to gradually return to training on the trails following local regulations.
Spain still has a very uncertain situation. It is, in fact, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Due to the emergency the Government immediately imposed an absolute ban on running, similarly to India, Peru, Argentina, Malaysia, the Philippines and Bangladesh. In the Iberian peninsula, the potential recovery of sporting activities is expected in early June.
Considering all these situations, a possible scenario in Europe would see the first races taking place around mid-July, in the case of local competitions, and from August for more international competitions. To confirm these hypotheses, we should wait for the beginning of June, when the stabilization of the contagion curve and of the areas most at risk should become more clear.
One thing is certain, participation in the races will be subject to compliance with new regulations, much more restrictive which we will talk about in the coming weeks.
The more negative scenario, in the event of the continuation of the restrictive measures, would take shape in June, at the latest in the middle of the month, when the lack of certain regulation would force coaches, athletes and organizers to say goodbye to the main remaining races of the Summer and the beginning of Autumn 2020. The reason is related to physiological aspects. The impossibility to perform long distance training, completed by participation in intermediate races, would make athletic training very complex.
The compressed athletic preparation in a few months will hardly bring the desired results. But in this case much depends on the athlete, the type of sports program followed during the months of the lockdown and on the scientific progression of the workouts loads in the months of June, July and August.
Waiting to know in detail the next provisions, probably in the first half of May, continue to train at home to not lose physical fitness.
If you missed the latest Circuit Training to keep in shape at home, you can find it HERE: CIRCUIT TRAINING FOR TRAIL RUNNERS
Enjoy your workout! … and don’t lose focus and hope 😉
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Pandemic and Sport, Tor des Geants, trail running, Trail Running and Coronavirus, Trail Running races, Training after Coronavirus, UTMB
