I know, I know, I’m not going to make myself popular with this request, but I mean it: if you’re attending WDW Marathon Weekend and you feel in the least bit sick, please wear a mask.
RACE WEEKEND ILLNESS WAS ALWAYS LURKING
I mean, let’s be real: sickness has always been a potential race weekend-slayer. I can’t believe I was so blase about traipsing about the parks last time I did the Dopey Challenge. Catching one flu or even a nasty cold could’ve derailed the whole train.
Even though we are technically post-pandemic, my eyes were opened by the experience. Hooray for new paranoias! Obviously catching COVID is the most talked-about problem, but picking up any sort of ailment could make the race weekend unpleasant at best and force a DNF or DNS at worst.
Which is why I am dismayed that…
I HEAR AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT SICK RUNNERS
Maybe it was always the case, but over the last couple years I’ve noticed an uptick of anecdotes about people running races while sick. “I woke up with chills and fever but I still got out there and completed the marathon!” goes the Instagram caption. Which is all well and good up to a point. It’s your body and your race weekend, and you are entitled to push your body – or not – as you see fit.
Here’s where it becomes a problem, however: those sick runners don’t race in a vacuum. They can infect those around them. A fellow runner may find their challenge weekend completely destroyed thanks to that exposure.
I’m not as worried about the race itself, as unless you’re a sick runner’s race partner, you’re probably not staying within their sphere long enough to incur much danger. Remember that two primary factors of catching an illness are viral load and time. Now, if that sick runner sneezes directly in your face, that split second might be enough to get you sick, but again, that probably won’t happen during the race.
During the rest of it, though? The expo? The bus to the race start? The corrals? Man, I have heard some hacking coughs while hanging around the corrals. I’ve moved because of them, too. But it would’ve been so much safer if the cougher would just wear a mask. The sick person might not be breathing out all that much virus, but those tiny bits compound given enough time.
Which is why I’m begging you: if you feel sick and want to complete your races, fine! But please find it in your heart to wear a mask when not actively running. Here’s why.
HOW A MASK WILL HELP: THE SCIENCE
Don’t take it from me – take it from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, or as you may know them better, the CDC:
When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others.
Not a CDC fan? How about a study from the National Institutes from Health?
Masks largely succeeded in stopping respiratory virus transmission, as evidenced by the meta-analysis of 6 studies (a total of 927 individuals).
Perhaps you’d prefer to take it from our neighbors to the north – My Health Alberta is here to help:
Masks work to stop respiratory illnesses from spreading because they:
– stop droplets from your nose and mouth from going into the air
– keep you from touching your face (When you touch your face, you bring germs onto your face. You also spread germs when you touch your face and then touch people or surfaces without cleaning your hands.)
There you have it! When you wear a mask, you can have your race and protect others too.
NOT BIG ON MASK SCIENCE? HOW ABOUT KINDNESS?
Believe me, I am not about to wade into the politics of it all. I also readily admit that different types of masks (cloth vs. medical vs. K/N95) offer differing levels of protection. However, if you’re really just not feeling the science, could I instead play about your sense of kindness and duty to your fellow man?
Because when someone is sick, those around them are simply more comfortable seeing them masked. Race weekend – especially WDW Marathon Weekend with its nerve-jangly Goofy and Dopey Challenges – is already an anxious time. I stand ready to serve as Exhibit A in that regard.
So if you’re sick and still determined to participate, be kind and wear a mask. The optics will make those around you feel better, which is good for their mental health in this fractious time.
I WILL BE WEARING A MASK REGARDLESS
I myself, being as I am replete with fear at all times, have purchased a brand new box of KN95 masks and will be wearing them throughout race weekend. Not during the races themselves, of course, but everywhere I expect to be standing around in groups for large periods of time, and/or where the crowds are indoors or tightly packed.
Why take chances? I know a mask is not equivalent to a guarantee, but it’s a helluva lot more something than nothing. KN95s provide pretty decent protection from sickness too, although the best outcomes occur when the sick are masked to begin with (hence this whole post).
In any case, I’ve got four important races on the line and I won’t feel comfortable until I’m facing the start at the marathon, feeling good. Or as good as a Dopey Challenger can reasonably expect to feel. I’m keeping expectations low… but hedging my bets all the same.
THE SICK CONCLUSION
Once again, let me make sure I’m clear. I am not telling you not to run your races if you’re sick. I’m an endurance runner too. We aren’t the sort to give up in the face of something so mundane as potentially surmountable sickness. I get it. Should you think you can safely run, pick up your bib. Catch the bus to the start. Run.
Just remember if you do: please, please, please, PLEASE wear a mask any time you’re not actively running the race. You can even pick up a new mask from the post-race med tent for the bus ride home. The thousands of people in your bib pickup line, on your bus, and in your corral will thank you for your generosity of spirit. I know I will. Now let’s go slay 48.6!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
“Because when someone is sick, those around them are simply more comfortable seeing them masked.”
Not true! Not sure where you’re getting this idea either. For the majority of us, seeing masked people is very discomforting and unnatural as it takes away our humanity. I live in a very liberal place (NYC) and if you’re one of the rare few still wearing a mask these days, the assumption from most people will actually be that you’re a criminal trying to conceal your identity, or that you have severe health paranoia.
You’re what, late thirties? You existed your whole life prior to 2020 not seeing people wearing masks, even when they were sick, even during flu season, even in big crowds, at the airport, at Disney World, etc. and you were fine with it.
You don’t have a special right to exist in a world free of sick people and part of the human experience is being around people who might be coughing or sniffling at times – if that’s uncomfortable to you, you should really be staying home and practicing isolation still rather than projecting your health paranoia onto others.
You can mask if you want, it’s your body and your choice, but it’s unreasonable to project that on others. Also, people like you always seem to conveniently neglect the fact that masks are ableist and many people CANNOT wear them because of sensory issues, language processing issues, respiratory issues, and more.
It’s not “kindness” to request others to wear masks, it’s fascism.
Fascism would be not approving your comment. I did because you have a right to free speech. Fascism is not making a request out of a combination of scientific backing and civic duty. I made no threats. I petitioned no governmental agencies.
I’m sure there is a subsection of people who consider masks disconcerting. But I’ve done a lot of air travel lately, and whenever I see a sick person masked – and it is often apparent when that is happening as they cough or sneeze – I personally am appreciative. I know I am not alone in this. And as noted in my post, the scientific backing that this protects others is there regardless.
You’re right – I did exist for a long time maskless; I very lightly touch on this in the post too. Looking back, it’s crazy how lackadaisical I was about the possibility of getting sick. The pandemic opened my eyes to the dangers. Now that I know more, I am acting accordingly. I politely request (but again, not demand) that others consider the same.
As to those who cannot mask for legitimate mental or physical health reasons, that is fair. However, I would then point out that this underlines the fact that those who can mask should, as it helps protect those who cannot. It’s the same for vaccines and the reliance on herd immunity.
You cannot use the term “fascism” and then follow it with “request.” It’s simply a contradiction in terms. If you don’t understand how, I direct you to its Britannica page.
I’m one of those people who cannot mask for health reasons and I can assure you that myself and those and my community don’t want to be “protected” by others wearing a mask.
You’re blinded by your white Western privilege to think that wearing a mask is some radical kindness or civic duty and want brownie points for doing something that no marginalized group actually cares about.
Again, you’re making a wild extrapolation that anyone aside from you and others who are deeply afflicted with health paranoia appreciate masking. YOU saw someone on an airplane wearing a mask and it made you feel better? Okay, the majority of people in the world still don’t feel the same way.
On any given day maybe 1 in 100 people are still wearing a mask – that absolutely negates your claim that other people appreciate masking because they don’t do it themselves now that it’s no longer legally required.
Again, it’s your white Western privilege showing that you think you deserve to exist in a sanitized environment where no one will ever cough near you or come within 6 feet of you. That sort of individualist mindset (which is what it is, even if you pretend it’s some noble act for the collective good) doesn’t extend to the rest of the world.
I stand by my statements.
Cool! Insipid, inane response to go along with this entire post. I won’t be engaging with your content anymore, but have fun virtue signaling by wearing a mask, engaging in a circle jerk with everyone else still wearing a mask, and feeling self-righteous and like you’re on the “right side of history” with your health paranoia.
Thank you for writing this. It’s so odd to me that people think wearing a mask is some sort of political statement. It’s showing respect for your fellow man. It’s caring about others. If that’s a political statement, I guess I want to be on that side of politics. Good luck to us running this weekend! I hope we make it through without issue.
Yes! I wish for a healthy and happy WDW Marathon Weekend for all!
Thank you for sharing! What it really comes down to is having respect for other people around you. I avoid wearing a mask 99% of the time (I struggle with breathing when they are on, and I’m okay with building up my immune system a little bit), but if I was sick it’s a different story. Frankly, I think in some ways you are overly kind in this post! If someone is sick, it’s very selfish to be around other people knowing you could get them sick as well. So if you’re not going to stay home, trying to contain your germs to the best of your ability is the least you could do. Sometimes we can’t avoid getting sick, especially in public spaces, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to minimize that when possible.
Yes! This is a nuanced topic and there’s no single solution for every person and every situation, but it all boils down to civic duty.