Quarry Run quashed Rules technicality throws monkey wrench into event By: Taylor Allen Posted: 7:00 PM CST Thursday, Mar. 11, 2021

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2021 (1689 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Runners’ Association (MRA) was confident they were not only following the rules but taking all the necessary precautions to keep everybody safe. 

However, local health authorities didn’t quite feel the same way. 

The MRA was informed last week that their Stonewall Quarry Run, set for March 27, had to be cancelled. The race was to have a maximum of 50 participants with a staggered start time in groups of five on the streets of Stonewall. There would be no awards ceremony after crossing the finish line as runners were to leave immediately. 

It checked most, if not all, of the boxes, except for one: it technically wasn’t being held at an outdoor sporting facility. 

Health guidelines state; “Persons must not engage in outdoor activities as part of a group of more than 10 persons, unless all persons reside in the same private residence or they are participating in an organized practice, game or competition at an outdoor sporting facility.”

Stonewall’s streets do not match the description of a competition at an outdoor sporting facility, thus, the MRA had to throw in the towel on the event. It will now be held virtually between March 17-31.

“We’re hoping we can clarify with public health how our sport operates. They’re extremely busy and they can’t spend the time figuring out how each individual sport operates or can operate under these conditions,” said MRA executive director Kathy Wiens. 

“They don’t have that kind of time to go through every single sport like that so they have to have general orders. For now, we’re looking to see if we can clarify a bit further with them… We have 34 events on our race calendar this year and there isn’t another event even considering going in person until August and that will be dependent on what the orders are on that time. All the other events on our calendar between now and August will be virtual events.”

But the MRA, who are affiliated with Athletics Manitoba, aren’t the only ones trying to figure out what the restrictions mean for their sport.

“We’re hoping we can clarify with public health how our sport operates. They’re extremely busy and they can’t spend the time figuring out how each individual sport operates or can operate under these conditions.”
– MRA executive director Kathy Wiens

“I must admit, it really is difficult and people are very frustrated by it,” said Sport Manitoba interim president and CEO Janet McMahon. “We often have to go back several times to get clarification for differing types of activities. Sport is so different, depending on what the activity is and how you interact with one another.”

McMahon said Sport Manitoba knew back in the fall that it would be a slow process when things began to open up. While the rule allowing for only one-on-one instruction has been removed, the restrictions for indoors remain strict with the 25 per cent capacity limit and the requirement for athletes and coaches to wear masks at all times.

“I will have to say the sport organizations and the public are quite frustrated and really would like to see things open more quickly, but the organizations have done an amazing job at being adaptable, flexible and putting out good communications to make this safe. In the end, that’s the reality, we want to keep (people) safe and we want to stop the spread so we can get back to things more fully… We weren’t required to wear masks (indoors) until this particular order, so the restrictions seem even more strict than what they were previously which is just really hard at this point because we’ve been in this for so long,” said McMahon. 

“But again, people need to understand that it’s not intentional. People recognize how important it is to get kids back for all kinds of reasons: their mental health, inactivity, that sort of thing. So, I think this did come as a bit of a surprise, but at the same time, it is the public health people determining what’s safe and what isn’t.”

“We often have to go back several times to get clarification for differing types of activities. Sport is so different, depending on what the activity is and how you interact with one another.”
– Sport Manitoba interim president and CEO Janet McMahon

Sports organizers have their hands tied for the most part, but they are finding creative ways to get their athletes back doing what they love. Volleyball Manitoba was encouraging members to give snow volleyball a try and the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association recently announced an outdoor three-on-three spring basketball league that plans to run from mid-April through June.

“Access to facilities is the biggest challenge right now. It sounds great that we can do all this, but virtually every school gym remains off-limits,” said Basketball Manitoba executive director Adam Wedlake. 

“And that makes sense, I wasn’t thinking that would change overnight, but that eliminates probably 90 per cent of the gyms out there as they’re being used as classrooms or they’re reserved for the school’s use only… So, we’re looking at the outdoor option. First of all, it’s potentially the safer option because there are fewer restrictions even as we speak versus indoor and just that they’re there as opposed to being locked up and restricted.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

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Taylor Allen
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Eighteen years old and still in high school, Taylor got his start with the Free Press on June 1, 2011. Well, sort of...

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