The Ohio Valley Conference announced last week a delay in fall competition in college sports like golf, tennis, and cross country. Eastern Kentucky University’s Cross Country Coach Cory Erdmann says a move to September 17th could mean the loss of two early season meets.
While training for many cross country runners hasn’t changed greatly during coronavirus, Erdmann noted athletes in Spain faced a 30 to 40 day lockdown, not able to venture beyond their home. “One of our freshmen from last year, he ran essentially ten kilometers a day or twice a day even, inside his garage doing 100 meter loops. So, it had great impact on them,” said Erdmann.
Erdmann said there are a number of uncertainties at this point, such as how teams will qualify for the NCAA meet this year.
While there’s an emphasis on mask wearing right now, that’s not practical for cross country runners. Erdmann explained it’s not unheard of though. “There has been at least one incidence of a guy running a track race with a full mask to deal with pollen, but he was a professional athlete and I don’t venture to guess what the mask would cost and how specialized and how it was designed just for him. You could do it but for the vast majority of student-athletes it would be extremely challenging,” said Erdmann.
Erdmann said the actual layout of cross country courses is not expected to change during this time of coronavirus. The Eastern coach says a key prep meet for the NCAA in Wisconsin, which typically attracts many teams, has been canceled.?
Here's more with EKU Cross Country Coach Cory Erdmann:
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