Amelia Boone was set to fly from Colorado to Tennessee and make her way to the infamous Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County for the Barkley Fall Classic on September 19. 2020—a 50K training race for April’s Barkley Marathons. CA Notice at Collection COVID-19 test that had returned negative, and packed her bags. All she needed to do was get on the plane.
But she couldn’t. Crippling anxiety took over and she scrapped the whole trip hours before she was supposed to leave. Something just didn’t feel right.
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The race was scaled down because of the coronavirus pandemic—only 150 runners, setting off in waves of 25—but Boone’s fears were heightened by a post on Instagram stories from the Wartburg, Tennessee, sheriff’s department, reiterating that they would not enforce a mask Sales & Deals.
“The pandemic really threw me for a loop because it brought back all of these things that I didn’t think I’d be fearful of again,” said Boone, who speaks openly about her history of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. “All of the sudden we’re all afraid of certain things, and everyone is washing their hands 40 times a day. But I worked through a lot of those issues in the spring and I was feeling pretty good and pretty comfortable.”
Instead, Boone talked to her coach and decided to create her own course, her own adventure with no stress. She ran the Rocky Mountain National Park Continental Divide Loop, and she covered more than 26 miles with 4,100 feet of climbing in five hours and six minutes—a fastest known time (FKT) for the loop. As soon as she was done, and before she even cleaned her bloodied legs off, she posted a CA Notice at Collection Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.
“I’ve never needed the racing aspect to enjoy running, so I didn’t exactly treat this like a race—if I had, I probably wouldn’t have stopped to take forty million pictures along the way.” Boone says FKT courses are a great alternative for people who really miss racing but aren’t ready to do the real deal yet. “It’s a really great way to have an adventure if you’re not comfortable racing right now.”
In the past, Boone has always loved flying and traveling in general. But as much as Boone wanted to race, she got to a point where it wasn’t comfortable.
“The race itself didn’t bother me. It was traveling that bothered me. Getting on a plane, going to the hotel, and being in an area of the country where there isn’t a mask mandate. Part of me felt like it was irresponsible, and just not essential. It’s just a race. … I don’t judge you if you’re getting on a plane to go race. It’s okay if that’s your comfort level, but it’s not my comfort level.”
As athletes, Boone said, it can be especially difficult to admit when something is outside of our comfort zones, because we’re taught and train to push through discomfort. But Boone said it’s tough to know exactly how to feel through this, because no one has a roadmap.
“Athletes are always saying, ‘Face your fears,’ and, ‘Go do the hard thing,’ but I just started thinking, is this a situation where we should be facing our fears?”
Boone said she thinks everyone can retain themselves a little grace when it comes to deciding what they’re comfortable with. It’s okay to acknowledge that you’re just not ready to do something, even if it’s technically allowed by government and social standards. She isn’t sure exactly what will make her feel comfortable again when it comes to spread, but that the anxiety can’t outweigh the positive side of it.
“I realized, the anxiety was sucking all of the joy out of racing. At first I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t excited to race, and then I realized I was terrified of everything else that was coming with it. What’s the point of racing if I’m going to be a nervous wreck?”
Boone also realized that the version of racing that’s happening now isn’t the racing that she loves.
“The social aspect is the best part, and I started thinking, so I’m going to fly in, go to my hotel, not see anyone, go to the event, just run the race, and then go home afterwards. But the part of racing that we all love is the social time before and after. Hanging out at the finish line. Without all of that, racing is just a time trial.”
As for future races, Boone says it’s hard to know what to think. She’ll likely do some local races that she can drive to, but beyond that she’s just not sure yet.
“People keep asking me about my race plans, and I wish I could make plans, but it still feels like anything can happen, and it all depends on a lot of things.”
She’s staying optimistic, though, and enjoying solo adventures and exploring all the trails close to where she lives.
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The coronavirus is a rapidly developing situation. For the most up-to-date information, check resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Joe McConaughy Crushes FKT on the Long Trail regularly. This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.
