ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ7)– As fear of the coronavirus increases globally, we’ve seen it impact many facets of daily life from the stock market to travel. Tourism in the Roanoke Valley, including the upcoming Blue Ridge Marathon, could be affected, and the Iron Man could take a hit.
When you run a marathon or a triathlon, it can take weeks, months or even years to train. Last year, 44 states and seven countries were represented in America’s toughest Road Race, The Blue Ridge Marathon.
Now, with the coronavirus sparking national concern, it has some in our hometowns worried about how it could impact the race.
“We are doing everything we can to look out for the safety of our volunteers, runners and everything like that, but so far, the run is on,” said Pete Eshelman.
Pete Eshelman, director of Roanoke Outside Foundation, said organizers are relying heavily on the government’s decisions and airport screening systems.
“The bulk of our runners do drive in. Two-thirds come within a driving distance of them, the others are flying through local airports, or coming international airports have their own screening processes in place,” said Eshelman.
According to Eshelman, this year’s race has the highest number of registered runners today. He said right now, there is no immediate concern to the race and they’re taking it in stride.
“The people that come here are tough, so we aren’t terribly worried about the coronavirus right now. We aren’t fielding any issues from our rinners or anything like that, so it’s game on for us,” said Eshelman.
We also reached out to organizers of Roanoke’s first Iron Man that’s planned for this summer, and have not heard back yet.
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