Chicago Marathon Requiring Vaccination Or Negative COVID Test

You're going to have all those tens of thousands of people in one space doing a heavily taxing events that's going to severely immunocompromise most of them anyway. It doesn't matter enough that they'll be at the expo in the days before to justify an extra expense in cancelling it and shipping a bunch of bibs across multiple countries (in many cases to people who may not be able to reliably receive mail or shipping).

Correction II wrote:

It's proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours of the race. The unvaccinated can run.

The unvaccinated shouldn’t be allowed to run, they are putting others at unnecessary risk.

Proof of vaccination is irrelevant, it should only be proof of a negative test.

Why are there so many dumbasses out there that still can't understand that vaccination does not stop transmission? This is common knowledge now.

Common Cents wrote:

Correction II wrote:

It's proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours of the race. The unvaccinated can run.

The unvaccinated shouldn’t be allowed to run, they are putting others at unnecessary risk.

Their definition of 'vaccinated' only includes FDA approved vaccines. Chicago is an international event and there are countries that administer vaccines not approved by FDA while the nationals of these countries are allowed entry to the US.

Vaccinated can still and are spreading. So proof of vaccination should not matter. Only testing. But what so you expect from scientists

None of the vaccines are FDA approved they are only emergency use authorized so technically everyone in the US should have negative Covid test

A test showing you have the anti bodies due to prior infection would make far more sense than proof of vaccination

From a public safety point of view.

In fact, proof of vaccination is worthless. More and more vaccinated people are getting Covid.

But the elites are heavily invested in forcing the jab onto everyone and this really is not about public safety

AS much as runners pay to run in the race, they should all be provided with Covid tests. Test negative and you are in.

Of course these tests are notoriously unreliable.

We're in the second half of second year of the pandemic. I'm used to living in this new world. Like, you know, wearing masks. I don't hesitate to put it on when it's mandatory and enforced and don't hesitate to take it off when not mandatory - or just not enforced (my local bakery doesn't care if I come to buy bread after my morning run without a mask). Same with races: I'm concerned with events taking place and me being able to participate.

There's so many information on the web, much of it contradictory, that anyone saying they know 'the truth' from some reading and applying common sense is clearly delusional. There's also too much fearmongering, enough for it to have the opposite effect, at least for me. My choice is to adapt to the new normal.

That's an interesting take. I should check the exact wording they used though.

If you are vaccinated, you are much less likely to get the disease and less likely to transmit it.

It's good to think of the virus like a pole vaulter and the vaccine the bar.

A young, vaccinated person has a very high bar, so high that you need a Mondo Duplantis level of viral exposure to get sick. This would be like the Provincetown outbreak in Massachusetts. You pack 200 people in a tiny bar yelling, singing and dancing for hours and you'll accumulate a high enough viral load to infect a ton of people, even those vaccinated (note that almost none of the vaccinated people in that outbreak got seriously ill and only one died - with underlying conditions). It's possible, but requires rare conditions.

Older or immunocompromised people (or those whose response to the vaccine is waning) have lower average responses to the vaccine, so their bar is lower. More viral vaulters will clear it, but the vaccine still reduces their chances of getting sick and sharply reduces their risk of dying if they do get sick.

In other words, if I see professionals flying over 5 meters, I shouldn't conclude that the bar is useless, I should conclude that the rare person can do that, but it's unlikely. The vaccine isn't foolproof, but it's exceptionally good (especially at preventing serious injury or death).

So, by setting a vaccinated or negative policy, the organizers are raising the bar pretty high. There will almost undoubtedly be transmissions at the event (particularly any indoor elements), but the policy will reduce the number and severity of infections.

OK that makes sense. They've probably got some percentage of infection, sickness, and death in mind that they are willing to accept in order to have their race. I hope other races adopt the same policy. As long as the percentage is low enough, and no pole vaulters lose an eye.

The Unkle wrote:

A test showing you have the anti bodies due to prior infection would make far more sense than proof of vaccination

From a public safety point of view.

In fact, proof of vaccination is worthless. More and more vaccinated people are getting Covid.

But the elites are heavily invested in forcing the jab onto everyone and this really is not about public safety

AS much as runners pay to run in the race, they should all be provided with Covid tests. Test negative and you are in.

Of course these tests are notoriously unreliable.

Several posters mentioned the same problem with “vaccinated”; that it’s still possible to get infection (especially asymptomatic) and spread to others.

I quoted your because you mentioned the antibody tests. Those WOULD be useful in the way you suggested, but unfortunately the commercially available antibody tests have WAY too high a rate of false positive and false negative results. Might deny a lot of people a place on the start line who are otherwise immune.

Chicago just used this exact policy for Lollapallooza. 350K attendees, 88% fully vaccinated, the rest with negative test. In the 14 days after it concluded, only 220 positive COVID cases amongst attendees. That’s a pretty big success overall.

that's funny 'cause you can be vaxed and still be positive for COVID

rank it wrote:

VO2Max Burrito wrote:

Really hoping mandatory vaccines and wearing masks at the start and finish areas will allow for mass events to take place.

I really hope any combination of vaccine proof, masks (except when running), social distancing where possible, and negative tests keep all the events happening.

I do not necessarily want or think we need all of that, but it is preferable to not holding the events.

And this willingness to surrender. To comply. To follow along with the make it up as we go nonsense. This is why your government is realizing they can slowly and surely take more and more as many are willing to let them have it as long they can have a few scraps here and there.

Funny thing regarding the fear of the OP running with unvaccinated people. Slogging for a 3+ hour marathon is more detrimental to your health than any flu virus.

Just wear a mask where required race weekend. Has any outbreak been traced to a road race yet?

ran a turkey trot with over 10k closely packed runners. No masks, no checks. Everyone survived, no outbreaks

It is still possible to get sick even if you are vaccinated. But the symptoms will be easier on you or there won't be symptoms at all.