written 4/29/2020
Hi Everyone,
Many of you have written very thoughtful notes to me about COVID-19 with everything ranging from best wishes to my family to recollections of times we’ve seen each other on trails. And then, inevitably and rightly each email or Facebook message wonders aloud about Scena’s races. Will they happen in 2020? Will races every happen again as we know them?
I think these notes contain all our thoughts and hopes for each other and our anxiety about the future, especially for those of us who have gotten so much strength out of training, racing, and being outdoors together.
So here’s the skinny on Scena’s race 2020 race calendar:
>>> Sonoma Women’s Triathlon will be rescheduled for 2021. Even though it’s possible we could hold a race in early July, it’s still totally uncertain what form it would take, whether permits will be approved, how we’d manage the transition area. The list goes on and on.
>>> Skyline 50k is scheduled to happen on time in early August. I’m committed to continuing the tradition of this race within the bounds of public health concerns. This may mean that it’s a small run, or that folks are sent off in stages. There are a lot of options, I believe, that will allow us to race. As of my writing, registration is open. Registration currently won’t take your money – it just acts as a waitlist. It’s important (to me) that you sign up if you’re interested, so I understand how many interested runners we have.
>>> Mendocino Running Festival will not take place in 2020. Even though we might be able to run in late August, it’s unclear to me whether we can camp together over a weekend. I don’t know if we should and I don’t know if anyone will want to. Even though Stay At Home will likely be rescinded at this point, I have no idea whether there will be second-wave lockdowns in late summer. In that haze of uncertainty, it seems best to reschedule for 2021. More on this soon.
>>> Dick Collins Firetrails, like Skyline 50k, is also currently scheduled to happen. I feel very much about Firetails as I do about Skyline, with one caveat: these longer distances are much more difficult to pull off and our need to provide you a high level of hands-on support through out the day is essential to keep you safe. As we get closer, I’ll have more thoughts on this. For now, registration is open but not taking money, just gathering names.
>>> Healdsburg Turkey Trot is currently on! By the time we get to November, boy are we going to be glad to be together!
You may have read all this and wondered if there’s going to be a virtual option for any of the races. For the time being, the answer to that is no. Basically, the best part of these races is our being able to do them together and I’d rather hold out until they can be done in the more old-timey style, even if that means they have to be much smaller and Jeff Rowe has to wear a hazmat suit.
Also, you may wonder if there’s something you need to do to defer your entry to a 2021 race. Nope. We’ll do that for you. If you want to do another race instead, though, let us know. I’ve tried to capture all of this as best as I can in our Frequently Asked Questions/Policies.
What a time we live in! I hope this post finds you well — healthy and happy to spend time with your family.
Yours,
Adam Ray