ST. JOHN'S — Barring a miracle, or a vaccine that’s rolled out soon, there is little chance The Telegram 10-Mile Road Race will be staged July 26.
That’s not exactly stop-the-press news, but the question that remains is when or if there will even be a Tely 10 — set to be the 93rd annual event — this summer.
“I can tell you we’re working very hard behind the scenes,” said George Stanoev, the technical director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association. “We’re exploring a fall option.”
Since The Telegram last reported that bit of news earlier this month, several events drawing mass crowds have been cancelled for 2020, including the Royal St. John’s Regatta.
The Tely 10, which routinely draws in excess of 4,000 or 5,000-plus runners and walkers, in addition to thousands more spectators, would fall into the “mass gathering” category.
“Obviously,” said Stanoev, “we cannot commit to an event that jeopardizes the health of participants.
“We will be following all guidelines set out by the province’s Chief Medical Officer (Dr. Janice Fitzgerald),” Stanoev said. “Any plan will be approved by the CMO. We will not go ahead (making plans) on our own.
“We have to follow very strict guidelines,” he said. “We just don’t know what those guidelines will be three or four months from now.”
Many races, scheduled for the next couple of months, which Tely 10 competitors use to tune up for the 10-mile event, have already been postponed.
“And there’s no word on when we can resume,” Stanoev said.
Stanoev said the NLAA would like to have a decision in place for the 2020 Tely 10 by June 1. He said the association’s last option is to cancel the race for 2020.
