2020, or The Season of Covid-19

 As promised in my last post, I have some additional info to offer!
A trio of Age Records fell in the WR breaking Valencia Half!
Kibiwott Kandie's 57:32 gets the Age 24 Record!
Jacob Kiplimo's 57:37 is the new Age 20 Record!
And the 57:49 by Rhonex Kipruto claims the Age 21 Record!
BTW, birthdates were attained from the Tilastopaia site!

In the Valencia Marathon---Evans Chebet's 2:03:00 is the new Age 22 Record!
Birhanu Legesse's 2:03:16 is the new Age 26 Record!
The 2:03:30 of Amos Kipruto is the Age 28 Record!
And Abel Kirui became the oldest to run a sub-2:06, his 2:05:05 claiming the Age 38 Record!
It should be noted that Ken Bekele will be 38 in 2021, and ran 2:01:41 when 37!!

Y Yalemzerf's 64:46 in the New Delhi Half gets her the Age 21 Record!
Genzebe Dibaba's 65:18 in the Valencia Half gets her the Age 29 Record!
Peres Jepchirchir's 2:17:16 in Valencia's Marathon is the Age 27 Record!
As noted, Birthdates were gotten on Tilastopaia, so I'm believing that Helaria Johannes's 2:19:52 makes her the oldest Woman to run under 2:20!
She's 40 years old, and gets that Age Record!

Finally, according to MileSplit, Jenna Hutchins is a HS Junior!
Her 15:34.47 is the 11th Grade Record!

Now for some thoughts on 2020---

It began normally, with the INdoor season progressing as it should.
Then, suddenly, it was gone!
The NCAA and NBIN meets--exciting Record producing affairs both--were cancelled!
As was almost the entire OUTdoor spring series of meets!
No Penn or Drake or Florida or Kansas or Texas Relays!
No May DL's in Doha and Shanghai!
No Distance Paradise meets on Stanford's oval!
And no London or Boston Marathons!

Yet---
if you read all my posts covering (belatedly!) what became an OUTdoor season, then you know of all the Records and List making Marks that came from "meets" across the US, and even around the World!
Were they all legit, with the Records ratifiable by USATF and WAF (IAAF's new acronym--for World Athletics Federation)??
That requires a "wait and see" stance on those not yet ratified!
Some were glorified time trials amongst friends and teammates--such as Shelby Houlihan's 5000 AR, and the pair of 4 X 1500 Relay Records put up by Houlihan and Co---aka the Bowerman Track Club, coached by Jerry Schumacher!
I (and this blog) consider these and other Marks legit!

Bigger fish got hooked on the line thrown at the World by the virus known as Covid-19!
The "2020" Tokyo Olympics were tossed over to 2021!
It's confusing (to me!), but some World Championships--both OUTdoor and INdoor---seem to have been postponed!
My advice (to you, and to myself!) is to check your T&F calendar to see what meets are happening when!
For example, it seems this fall's NCAA Cross Country Champs will be held next March--amidst the MAYBE OUTdoor NCAA T&F season??
And there were no HS XC Championships--no NXN or Footlocker!
(Maybe that's how Jenna Hutchins got to break the HSR in the 5000!!)

Bottom line, this horrid virus--killing over 2000 Americans every day!--changed the "normal" doings of our little world of T&F, XC, and even Road Racing!

Yes, much happened in 2020!
But much of it was surprising to this blogger!
When I began my multi-post recap of the previous year's activity, I didn't expect the VOLUME of Records and Marks to be so huge and lengthy!!
So Covid-19 didn't really destroy 2020--it merely tossed some new flavors and seasoning--a new recipe, if you will--on this quite conservative and traditional sport!

Some questions---
What happened to Mary Cain after INdoors?
(Though many Elites chose to forego OUTdoor racing after the Lockdown and Quarantining began last March!)
Why was London the only Spring Marathon to run their race a few months later?
(Boston had been run during World Wars and other catastrophes!!)

Some races had more than a safe number of competitors--and none wore a mask during the race!
So if they went that far, why not invite others to these events?
For example, that Bowerman TC 5000 might have been better with a few NON-BTC runners added!
Also those Record setting long Relays!

We DID have a season!
It just wasn't "normal"!!

And what about those shoes?
Did those fast Valencia times come because of the shoes worn?
It's not just Nike--other companies are producing similar shoes!

But didn't the same arguments occur when tracks changed from dirt to asphalt?
When Pole Vault poles went the fiberglass route?
When the sport went Professional?
Aren't they all the same--or at least in the same ballpark, to use a mixed metaphor??

I ran over a 30 year period, though many of those "years" weren't 365 days!
What shoes did I wear?
In HS, I wore a pair of Adidas spikes--costing $9.95!!
(I know, those were early 1960's prices!!  LOL)
I ran in Tiger (later ASICS) Boston shoes during my PR Marathon of 2:56:02 in 1978!
In fact, I wore those SAME "Boston's" in most of my frequent races--AND during my 10 or 20 mile training runs--on the track, roads, and on forest trails and the sands of nude beaches!!

I was far from elite--though that 2:56 Marathon (Avenue of the Giants) got me 147th place out of 1550 finishers!!
I didn't need Nike "fly" (or whatever they're called!) to run my fastest--or to just run!
Couldn't iconic figures like Ken Bekele, Brigid Kosgei, and Eliud Kipchoge run as fast as they have with "legal in every way" shoes??
Why bring controversy into the race?
Why possibly deny yourself a ratified WR, or just a National Record?

Should separate Records be kept for the different tracks we've run on ?
The different poles Vaulters use?

As you all know, I'm 100 percent strict on the separation of seasons--INdoors from OUTdoors!
Should USATF and WAF be as strict with the new shoes?
Or do we accept the advancements brought about by this 21st century technology?
(Oh, for the good old days, when Bill Bowerman invented a legendary & history making shoe--using his wife's WAFFLE maker!!)

Covid-19 WILL be gone!
The World's and the USA's Track and Field competitions will return to "normal"!
We'll get our seasons back!

And this blog will be reporting the results--in detail, as always!
(Health--and being alive!--allowing!!!)

The Marathon Project is hours away!
A full report will soon follow!
(Not to mention my Athlete, Performance, Event, and Personality of the Year choices for 2020 OUTdoors!)