Early Call Time Episode 22: Virtual Race Balderdash!

In this week's episode, the guys introduce a segment: Virtual Race Balderdash! During this segment the guys take turns reading descriptions of virtual races and make each other guess whether the description they've just heard is real or fake. If you just want to hear the segment, you can just skip to just past the 27-minute mark, but before that they talk about some industry happenings, some of which are even in-person--like the COVID-safe in-person finish line activation Eli helped put on on what would have been Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Sunday.

Tony, since he's not in Chicago helping to put on the marathon this weekend, shares his planned participation in the virtual Chicago Marathon Virtual Experience Half Marathon--which, since virtual will be here to stay alongside many events, may not be a one-and-done when he does return to working the event. For this week, though, Tony has to figure out how get his virtual race in around a camping trip he doesn't sound super-enthusiastic about, which leads to the guys talking about both their running tech use and also how they personally don't necessarily follow all of the liability-necessitated instructions organizations give out for virtual event participation.

The guys recap the highest level road race to happen in-person since the start of the pandemic, the elite-only London Marathon, which was conducted on a criterium course and held in a bubble, and also talk a little bit about a similar race planned for Arizona later in the year, the Marathon Project 2020. They agree that criterium-style racing is cool, and is something we would like to see more of.

Tony and Eli then discuss what's going on in the Texas marathoning scene, with Dallas, traditionally held in December, announcing its postponement to late April of 2021 (which the guys are skeptical of), and Houston kicking of the major 2021 cancellations by going virtual for its January event. The (usually) much-smaller BCS Marathon is still on for December and a reg spike seems likely with its major competitors clearing the field.

In their Virtual Race Balderdash segment you fearless co-hosts throw everything at each other, from the RBG Run to the Virtual Virtual Run (featuring a hellaciously difficult online racing game), and in a moment of high drama the winner is determined on the last of the six rounds. Who wins? Who goes home in tears? Did the guys accidentally invent any good virtual race ideas among their fakes? You'll have to listen to find out! (And if you stick around until the very end you'll get a special Easter Egg courtesy of recent podcast guest David Waskowski...)

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe. If you have any questions, comments, guests you would like us to invite, or want to try to stump us at Virtual Race Balderdash, please send us an email at earlycalltimepod@gmail.com.

Facebook: @EarlyCallTimePod
Instagram: @EarlyCallTimePod
Twitter: @EarlyPod