Shelter Island may see the return of runners, if pandemic modifications make the 10K Run/5K Walk possible for June 19. Organizers have pitched a redesign of the signature foot race to the Town Board, including staggered start times and no pre- or post-race gatherings.
Brendan Dagan of Elite Feats — which for the past few years has recently managed registration, timing and other details of the 40-year event — told the Town Board his Islandia-based firm has organized nearly 100 footraces since the COVID-19 outbreak, starting with a 5K in Queens last August when New York City “was the epicenter of the pandemic.”
“I say that to you just to let you know we have a lot of protocols and procedures in place,” he said in a presentation at the April 6 work session.
There would be about a 50 percent participation cap based on previous entries for a total of about 1,000 (including walkers in the 5K). The event would comply with state guidance that allows for gatherings of less than 200 by breaking participants into groups of 125.
Traditionally, runners pick up their bibs and other materials at the school gym. Now, in races he organizes, Dagan said runners receive their materials by mail and there are no in-person registrations, and no in-person pre- or post-race gatherings.
The Shelter Island 10K/5K course would not change and runner corrals could be set up along School Street and on school grounds. Instead of starting everyone at the same time, staff would call up a corral of participants, who would form lines following X marks on the pavement. As starters send off runners in the first corral (about six at a time), the second group would move forward, maintaining social distancing.
Spacing runner in this way, Dagan said, also prevents crowding at the finish line (as usual, timing is done using SmartTrac radio frequency tags embedded in the runners’ bibs). He’s found it takes just a few minutes to start each corral. If the Shelter Island 10K runners were to begin as usual at 5:30 PM, the 5K walk would begin in the same manner around 5:50 PM.
Once runners/walkers complete a race they receive a pre-packaged goody bag with their medal, race T-shirt, and a packaged snack, and immediately return to their cars and leave. A post-race ceremony would be held via Zoom on a later date TBD.
Dagan aired a video from the first event permitted in a New York City, a 5k in Queens:
The video captures many of the practices that would be in place for a Shelter Island 10K Run/5K Walk (if you are unable to view it above, follow this link to watch on the EliteFeats Facebook page).
Race Director M.E. Adipietro said the biggest new logistical challenge would be parking. Typically, runners leave their cars at the ferry terminals on the North and South Forks and take shuttle buses to the event. This year, no buses would be running. While many fewer participants would be expected, parking details will need to be sorted out if the organizers go ahead and apply for a permit.
