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Positive lessons from the pandemic year

May 14, 2021

Tartu Maraton’s race director Indrek Kelk answers three questions about the pandemic year. The Tartu Maraton was one of the few events that took place successfully past winter. Here is what the OC has learned:

Over the past year Tartu Maraton has organized six events. Two of them took place only virtually. Four events, including the ski marathon this February, were both real and virtual.

How has the event planning and team work changed?

Indrek: There has been a lot of thinking out of the box. This is how the virtual events were born, for motivating people to continue with sports. Today we are certainly more flexible and faster when it comes to organizing the event in line with specific requirements.

What has changed for the participants?

Indrek: Participants have additional options now. Virtually you can participate wherever you are, you can choose most suitable time and your own pace. When coming to the real event, participants have to be ready to follow the special safety rules.

What about the future? What about Tartu Maraton 2022?

Indrek: We do hope to organize real events again starting from this autumn. Even if we have to follow strict requirements. Participants feedback from the recent events shows, that they are ready to follow the special rules in order to be able to take part in the real event. In all our events, the virtual option remains as an alternative. This is a flexible possibility for those who for some reason cannot or do not want to start on the main race day. Hopefully, as vaccination goes on and tourism opens, we will be able to host also foreign skiers in 2022 Tartu Maraton. We are considering wave starts as one of the renewals. This year we used the wave starts due to corona restrictions and received a lot of positive feedback from the participants.

Indrek Kelk at Tartu Maraton 2021

Upcoming Tartu Maraton events: 

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