Tokyo (AFP)

When the coronavirus epidemic forced the organizers of the Nagoya marathon in Japan to cancel it, they turned to technology to offer a consolation solution to the participants: running the 42.195 kilometers alone.

The Nagoya marathon was initially supposed to attract some 20,000 runners on March 8 and therefore represented a significant risk of the spread of the coronavirus and a threat to the health of the participants.

The event has been canceled. And instead, the organizers proposed two applications to allow participants to run their marathon alone, but guided by their smartphone, in one or more times.

"This is the first time that the annual marathon events have been canceled, and it is therefore the first time that we have created applications to replace real races," an organizer told AFP.

Instead of following the route traced in the city located in the center of the Japanese archipelago, participants can run wherever they want, maintaining an appropriate social distance in times of pandemic, and the application is responsible for measuring and checking their performance. .

There are two applications: one for those who want to finish the marathon at once and another for those who want to spread their effort over several days.

Runners have until May 31 to complete their marathon.

The organizers wanted to salute the motivation and the physical preparation of the sportsmen and sportswomen, who trained for long weeks for a race that was finally canceled.

But, they insisted, "they don't recommend running in a large group".

Those registered for the women's marathon who finish the event via the application will receive a T-shirt and a necklace, as initially promised to the "finishers".

The coronavirus has shut down all or almost all of world sport. One of the first major events to be affected was the Tokyo Marathon, the amateur portion of which was scheduled for March 1, was canceled for approximately 38,000 runners.

These runners were also not entitled to a refund, even if they could however claim a place in the 2021 marathon. The pandemic mainly led to the postponement of one year of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will take place in the summer of 2021.

According to an official report on Sunday, Japan has some 3,650 Covid-19 positive cases for 73 dead.

© 2020 AFP