Overkill or smart? San Fran marathoners will have to wear masks for the 6.7 miles that go through National Park Service land

Wazzu is a caged animal, lashing out wrote:

Remember when that guy showed you the Coeur d'Alene had the same per capita homeless population as SF and you just stopped posting for a bit. Let's try again.

Here's your 10 year plan to end homelessness from 2008:

https://www.cdaid.org/files/municipal_services/city_10_year_homeless_plan.pdf

Clearly that didn't work.

Those in glass houses...

You'd think these good conservatives would clean up their own mess first.

No personal responsibility.

Masks at a crowded outdoor event make sense (there are several covid cases in our community related to last week's well-attended high school football game). Masks for a marathon, on course, do not.

In ultramarathons, they're typically requiring masks at the start/finish and when in groups at aid stations. I think that's a sensible approach even if arguably still a little over cautious (as to the aid stations).

The problem here is if the NPS makes an exception, then they'll be flooded with requests for exceptions, so easier just to take the hard line.

Harambe wrote:

No personal responsibility.

I hope you will accept full responsibility if anyone dies during the SF marathon because of the mask.

San Francisco is not only the worst US city at 77th place out of 82 cities, it is also the world’s worst city when it comes to the local cost of living (82nd) and the affordability of housing (82nd). One Peruvian expat explicitly points out that “prices in San Francisco are very high.” On a more positive note, San Francisco comes second in the world for local career opportunities, only beaten by Boston. One Canadian expat praises the city’s “unmatched career opportunities.” But these opportunities come at a price: San Francisco is ranked low for job security (78th), work-life balance (78th) and working hours (80th).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2019/12/04/ranked-worlds-worst-best-cities-to-live/?sh=700c5c1e4c94

You can read one sentence from a comment and immediately recognize it as Harambe's

How the Foreign Press Cover San Francisco

"Large parts of the city are completely unlivable, tech companies moving out as fast as they can."

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/san-francisco-homelessness-crisis-tent-cities-bclgk20s5

Makes about as much sense as requiring social distancing in the 800m.

Use a dark multi-color mask and Karen won't even be able to see the breathing holes if you keep your distance. Better yet, just ask for your money back.

I’m running this race, actually the 1/2 and was jogging the course yesterday. In the areas in question we’re multiple people outside without masks and nobody from the park service was saying a word. I ran past several park rangers unmasked and they simply smiled and waived. I’ll carry a mask in my pocket, but I’m 99% sure this will be ignored with no consequences.

wazzu1452 wrote:

San Francisco is not only the worst US city at 77th place out of 82 cities, it is also the world’s worst city when it comes to the local cost of living (82nd) and the affordability of housing (82nd). One Peruvian expat explicitly points out that “prices in San Francisco are very high.” On a more positive note, San Francisco comes second in the world for local career opportunities, only beaten by Boston. One Canadian expat praises the city’s “unmatched career opportunities.” But these opportunities come at a price: San Francisco is ranked low for job security (78th), work-life balance (78th) and working hours (80th).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2019/12/04/ranked-worlds-worst-best-cities-to-live/?sh=700c5c1e4c94

SF is NOT requiring the masks, it’s the national park service during the parts of the race on Federal land.

Hundreds of thousands (millions?) attending outdoor college football games over the course of one weekend. Much closer quarters...probably for a longer time. Screaming and yelling. Hugging, high-fiving...

Not to mention Pro Football, Baseball...

But, these relatively few marathon runners have to wear masks?

Mmmmkkkk...

rojo wrote:

The National Park Service has said that race organizers are responsible for the enforcement which would result in a fine or DQ from the race.

I wonder how seriously this will be enforced. Will people be snitching out the age group champ so they can move up a spot? I imagine it could get ugly.

What do you all think?

The article only mentions a fine, not DQ. Furthermore, state law provides for an exemption from masking for people who have difficulty breathing with a mask:

Anyone can claim they have an exemption for a condition, and unless they repeatedly visit that place,

there is no practical way to require proof of an exempting condition:

Race organizers would need to discriminate against people with asthma and such by, say, making participants sign paperwork saying that they don’t have any exempting conditions in order to be able to implement a DQ policy for letting your mask down.

Hey, it worked for Rupp. Didn't he wear a mask while racing once, because of asthma?

Precious Roy wrote:

One of the first documented outbreaks of Delta in my areas was at a big outdoor wedding where some family members flew in from India to attend (all guest were vaxed, but there were a bunch of breakthrough cases). Most of the data on outdoor transmission is based on Alpha. We do not know yet whether Delta's increased transmissibility means that outdoor transmission is more likely or remains as remote as Alpha.

It is certainly a possibility that people bunched up and breathing hard during a marathon could increase the risk of transmitting COVID. Until we have better data on Delta transmission outdoors, it is not unreasonable to err on the side of caution for once.

(Not directed specifically at you, Precious Roy)

Pro-mask: There is a "greater than zero" risk that Covid could be transmitted during the race. Therefore, wearing masks is prudent.

Anti-vax: There is a "greater than zero" risk that the vaccine will result in negative complications. Therefore, avoiding the vax is prudent.

Both of these are "following the science." Yet so many people espouse only one of these two positions.

That's because "follow the science" is just a phrase used to silence objections, like a frustrated father yelling, "Because I said so!" Even the "follow the science" people eventually have to admit that they are not "following the science;" they have just decided what level of "greater than zero" risk is acceptable to them. It's just much easier to say "follow the science" than it is to explain why "this" level of risk is OK, but "that" level of risk is not OK.

I think it is overkill too. I am pro vaccine and pro masks. I always wear a N95 mask indoors if anyone is around (except at home of course) and have been fully vaccinated since January (frontline health care worker taking care of Covid-19 patients) and will be getting a booster soon.

I think the chance of transmission outside is extremely low to none because you are running outside among runners testing negative and/or vaccinated. Even running past others outside who may be positive or unvaccinated I feel very safe because I am not stopping to talk to anyone. I am racing London and will wear masks for the start corrals and after the finish but I can’t imagine running a race with masks on.

No common sense. This is such a massive overstep. This is so low risk.

-Everyone running has either a negative test or is vaccinated.

-It's OUTSIDE.

-People running a marathon are extremely low risk for complications if they get covid...especially if they are vaccinated.

-It will be crowded at many points in the race...especially for mid packers and once again at the finish line. The risk magically disappears there?

People's risk assessment is completely out of whack here. A person is more likely to die traveling to the event than getting covid19 at the event. What are the odds a vaccinated marathon runner gets COVID and dies from getting at the event? Extremely low.

I personally have seen one or two breakthrough cases in the past 9 months, but they weren't sick at all. Everyone getting actually sick from this is is unvaccinated.

Left-wing media is trying to drive up ratings by making this the thing to panic about since Trump isn't around anymore(but they still LOVE fanning the Trump flames too!). Liberal die hards are falling right into the trap, just as much as conservative ideologues are falling into the "vaccine hesitancy" trap.

Think for yourself.

Good points!

OozmaKappa wrote:

Masks outdoors have always been nothing but theatrics. Completely useless.

This event is a circus and anyone who participates is a clown.

My mom got Covid outdoors, at a trump rally, not a joke.

dndjdhdhnd wrote:

OozmaKappa wrote:

Masks outdoors have always been nothing but theatrics. Completely useless.

This event is a circus and anyone who participates is a clown.

My mom got Covid outdoors, at a trump rally, not a joke.

I always find it odd when people say with such confidence they know where they got COVID.

People pull this garbage logic all the time. Your mom doesn't know where she got COVID.