Here's a good article to consider as we discuss this topic on the impact of Covid-19 on our population's health and how organizations like WVMTR can be part of the solution.  

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html?fbclid=IwAR2JqSDLOw0yub_92z0XC6QZ0rFgNLGjdreIvaSAg97lC56lXub4PjjXJEw

I realize that Ashley has not commented here, and Bob only commented after I made the motion and it was seconded. I rescind my motion until all members have commented.

I believe the discussion can continue even though we have a motion and a second.

Posted by: @bob-luther

To date, I have not heard of any increase in COVID-19 infections tied to these three events.

Tracing and tracking have been poor so this is anecdotal.  I see your point that our events are key to our mission and good for the individuals, but they are not necessary.  We have to consider that an asymptomatic participant could spread the virus to the community outside our event.  I believe we have a responsibility to our community to reduce potential spread.  

The 47 yo godfather of my children died of covid two weeks ago.  He volunteered at the DD many times.  I want this metric to reduce the opportunity for someone in the community from contracting covid from someone traveling to run our events.  The runners are outside, have signed a waiver recognizing the risk, and have protection from the mitigation plan.  The convenience store worker, hotel lobby clerks, etc are not protected by our plan.

This metric will allow events to take place this year and will only prevent them if the pandemic is still raging.

I am all in favor of hosting as many smaller fun runs with a limit on the participants in the case we keep the current metric for canceling races. I attended several fun runs last year and talked to those who went to the few I was not able to attend down this way. Fun runs rock and are a way for those runners of any pace to get with fellow trail enthusiast to share a few miles together during these crazy times. With fewer participants no one is bunched up and our fun run was 12 hours, so even when all participants finished there were a handful I did not see since some came early and others came late. The day was fun and we were even able to get Dolin's mom to walk some! That goes back to what Bob was saying about getting more people out on the trails.

You make a very good point about volunteers.  Race directors would have to heavily factor in the roles of volunteers to ensure those with potential risk factors stay home or fulfill a role that doesn’t involve contact with runners.  If the risk to key volunteers is too high, it would constitute a compelling reason for a race director to cancel a race. 

Our service workers have taken the brunt of this pandemic; many working reduced hours when they could least afford it.  Some continue to do so.  However, the influx of runners for WVMTR events is not so great as to push the needle in any direction.  The majority of racers already live, work and shop in our communities.  Folks from Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington DC will be camping, hiking and shopping in the very same areas we hold our races when spring arrives.  They’re the very people skiing the new Timberline, which is returning jobs and revenue to Tucker County.

Since elected to the BoD, I’ve spent a lot of time speaking to other runners in the club to hear their opinions on holding races.  While it is anecdotal, everyone I’ve spoken to has signed up for a race next year.  Many have also stated they will sign up for more if it looks like a particular race will occur.  A quick poll of friends in the club will likely return a similar result. 

Other organizations have shown it can be done safely.  Race directors should have the discretion within state guidelines to hold their race.  There is a strong template of how to hold a race in a safe manner.  The article from the CDC linked above and the recent article in Ultrarunning supports that statement and highlights the importance of the WVMTR mission because of the pandemic, not in spite of the pandemic.    

@bob-luther, thanks for your thoughtful comments.  I'm having trouble trying to discern your intent.  Are you for or against the metric model presented?

@acasseday I feel the metric is too restrictive to govern the cancellation of races.  The metric should be used as a tool to inform race directors and guide the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures. I recommend leaving the discretion up to the race director whether to hold an event within state mandated guidelines.  

I've just completed some deep thinking on why we are implementing a metric for determine race occurrence. First, I fully agree that there needs to be rules on the process to hold events - with masks, no indoor gathering, etc. But why are we creating a metric for the number of COVID cases as a limit to hold our events? By making our own metric, we are implying that we don't trust the WV state government's and/or the US federal government's current metrics to be sufficient, so we have to create our own. I do believe that we all need to play a role in preventing the spread of COVID to help protect the community, just like we all need to play a role in helping to prevent climate change.

@daniel, I am extremely saddened to hear of your children's godfather passing. We want to prevent as many cases and deaths as possible, which is why I have been supportive of cancelling many of last year's events. I remember you and I voting yes for one race, and no on another, often switching positions. Neither of us is perfect, and we certainly have evolving stances on this issue.

The executive committee took time to meet and propose the criteria. I don't know what happened in that meeting, but @acasseday says that the 20/100k limit was a heavily debated number. We could also discuss endlessly on the same number or any other combination of numbers. It is certainly within our limits to propose and vote on other metrics to consider. I think we need to take the executive committee at their word that this was the best compromise they came to. Some of us will be disappointed on the outcome regardless (metric or no metric), but it is time that we do something on this issue.

@bob-luther, I understand where you are coming from.  I personally disagree though.  The major reason for disagreement is because WVMTR owns the events and accepts the liability -- as does the RD and the WVMTR BOD.  I am not willing to allow a RD to make up their own mind about risk assessment during the current pandemic.  Although we do have insurance coverage, we as a board could be personally and corporately liable a RD's actions and any negligence (regardless of the communicable disease language in the waiver).  The metric is a logical methodology for ending this ongoing debate that we keep rehashing before each scheduled event.  

@arhodes5, I don't believe that the state or federal government has a set metric for outdoor sporting events.  Regardless, trail running is quite a different animal; as are each of our events and their logistical structure.  It is not a matter of trust vs. mistrust for me personally.  

Friends, I'm tired.  It's been a long day and a long 11-months.  I'm tired of COVID infiltrating my daily work and my nighttime sleep.  I'm sure you are as well.  I'm tired of this board continually debating this.  The continuous debate prior to each event over the past year is the true impetus for this discussion and the objective of the proposed metric.  I would like to see 2021 return to some level of normalcy and I would like to see us hold events in a safe manner.  This metric not meant to be exceedingly restrictive -- just logical based upon scientific public health data that we have ascertained over the past year.

The CDC website has us listed at 58.1 cases/100k over the last 7-days.  I would hope that we would have consensus that now is not a wise time in the pandemic to be holding events.  I believe that by the time Dirty Dog rolls around (which is likely our next WVMTR event due to Gregg Yarborough's property issues), we will be a in a far better place with the pandemic thanks to vaccines and the natural order of the seasonal aspects surrounding such infectious diseases.   We may very well be debating semantics.

Regardless, I feel that it is time that we move forward and adopt a measure and put this debate to rest.

Would anyone care to make a motion?

I make a motion to approve the proposed criteria to hold WVMTR races.

Just in case anyone missed it we have BOD insurance to protect us but COVID is specifically carved out as of Jan 1, 2021.  A lawyer could make a case that we were negligent in hosting an event during the pandemic and name each of us individually as defendants.  

Is it worth it? So somebody can go run in the woods with a clock running.  

i personally advocated for a lower metric but comprised up to 20.  

There is a motion made. Is there a second?  @daniel @bob-luther @asdolin @matt @laurbeam20

I can see everyone's point above. However, @daniel, really drives the point home for me. Is it worth risking lives to run in the woods with a clock going? I want to run my first HS40 so bad it hurts, but I don't think it is worth risking others. If the numbers are under the metric, awesome, lets run it. If they are not, there is always next year. @acasseday is right, our summer runs will have a better chance of going on with vaccines being distributed. I will second the motion. I don't think non essential events are worth the risk. 

We have a motion and a second.  If there is no further discussion, we will vote at the conclusion of the meeting under Item 6.