German marathon allows runners to compete on their own

Runners can compete on their own, or on a day of their choice, in response to the real-life marathon being cancelled due to COVID-19

Spotted: The popular METRO Marathon in Dusseldorf, Germany, held every April, was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, runners who were looking forward to the event now have another option – an individual marathon.

The Keep Moving exercise platform has added an option to run the METRO Marathon individually. Participants can register on the Keep Moving site and link to a fitness app of their choice, including Strava, Fitbit, Garmin and Start2Run, then choose a day to run. The app will confirm users have run the correct distance and the Keep Moving platform will rank all participants and award a winner.

It is free to take part in the virtual marathon and all participants will receive a certificate of participation and a virtual medal, while those who were already registered for the METRO Marathon can have the official finisher medal sent to them. For those who are avoiding the outside all together, the marathon can also be run on a treadmill.

Marathon organisers are promoting the virtual run as a way to help people keep fit while also having fun during the lockdown.

The METRO Marathon joins a vast number of activities that have been adapting to lockdowns and social distancing measures. Businesses of all types have developed innovative ways to continue offering their products and services, from live-streaming product launches to going all-digital. 

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