Coronavirus: Withdrawal from Spring road relays

We're fully expecting the Southern Road Relays to be cancelled in the next few days. With that in mind we're taking the decision now to pull our teams from the competition so athletes have reasonable notice and to minimise wasted expense on travel.

Even if the competition was still to go ahead, it would no longer be socially responsible to send large teams of athletes - who may not know they're carrying the virus - to travel together and then come into close contact with other runners, stewards and officials, who may well be in the higher risk age categories.

We've been hugely looking forward to the Southerns and had been due to put out two men's teams for the first time in years. Our men's A-team this year is probably the strongest since we won it a decade ago, and our women's team is coming off a blistering run of cross country form.

But the coronavirus outbreak is the most serious public health crisis our country has faced for a generation, and we have a collective responsibility not to contribute to its spread or to put any non-essential strain on our health services. There will be plenty more road relays in the future, and at the moment it's right to prioritise the health of our athletes and the wider community.

Steve Gardner and Arne Dumez
Men’s road and cross team managers

Charlie Dickinson
Women's road and cross country team manager

Terry O’Neill
Junior middle distance coach