Virtual Marathons
Who even knew what a virtual marathon was at the start of this year? Now, we are all familiar with the concept of running independently and having our performances measured by our GPS enabled watches. New York, Boston, London, Comrades have all run virtual events. The recently completed Melbourne Marathon Festival was also virtual for all its distances, and more than 5000 people completed one of the distances offered.
Spartans have approached this challenge in different ways, and we have decided that we will honour these runs by allowing the Spartans the opportunity to share their experiences.
- Ian Campbell ran the virtual Melbourne Marathon;
- Helen Ferrucci-Nobile ran the Athens Marathon with a group of friends, over the old Melbourne Marathon course;
- Wayne Thompson ran the virtual Melbourne Marathon seeking a fast time;
- John Kaparelis, Kai Ooi and Matt Callaghan ran their virtual Melbourne Marathons around Albert Park Lake;
Recent newsletters contained descriptions of virtual marathons:
- Sally Buckingham, with her daughter and dog, ran from home to Myrtleford;
- Brian Glover ran the virtual Great Ocean Road marathon early in the year;
We have a couple of other contributions in the pipeline, but please, send us yours! It doesn’t have to be polished, our editorial staff will work with you if that’s what you’d like.