Racing in the Age of COVID-19

As you are well aware, 2020 race season was devastated by the pandemic.  We have all heard the line, “We are living in unprecedented times”, and while this is true, runners, athletes, families, and businesses are trying to find their new normal. 

Like too many companies, the pandemic had a negative effect on Second Wind’s ability to operate.  We weathered the storm, and were able to keep our staff employed, while hoping we’d get back to a normal state of business quickly. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet, so we have been working with race director’s and race committees to get runners crossing finish lines in a safe and fun way.

Since we started in 2014 Second Wind has striven to provide stellar customer service to our race directors, and a unique finish line experience for their athletes.  This dedication to both parties has helped fuel our growth, making us one of the leading race timing and race consulting companies on the East Coast.  We now find ourselves heavily involved on the race consulting side, more so than timing at this point.

For the past 3 months, we have been timing live races again.  Albeit they are on the smaller side with the largest hosting approximately 330 runners.  When looking to get back out there timing races, athlete and timer’s health were at the forefront of our strategy.  We made the decision to suspend the use of receipt printers and live television displays to help keep people from gathering in one area. 

We have put together a viable plan that most race directors can use for their 2021 race.