Nassau Standard

In the good old days, Dave McGovern traveled the globe teaching about 18 racewalking clinics a year. 

Up to 25 people participated in the specialized clinics and the world-class athlete would earn extra money by taking on coaching gigs. But all of his business came to a screeching halt in mid-March when COVID-19 emerged as a threat to public health and the global economy.

“My clients are scattered all over and races are canceled so what’s the point of traveling for a clinic,” he said. “They are having a hard time because they don't have their outlet anymore and they don't need a clinic if they're not competing. It’s tough.”

McGovern was scheduled to teach clinics in Atlanta, Costa Rica and Vermont but they have been canceled. Upcoming clinics in Kentucky and Galveston, Texas, scheduled in the fall are likely to be canceled as well.

“This has been how I make my living since 1991 and now I'm 55 years old,” McGovern told the Nassau Standard. “I have a master's degree in environmental planning. It's hard for me to go into a different line of work but my current line of work is gone right now.”

As a sole proprietor, McGovern didn’t apply for federal Paycheck Protection Program funding since he doesn’t employ staff. Instead, his source of financial support has been unemployment benefits, which expire at the end of July.

“What it would take from lawmakers to help me is to extend unemployment until there's a vaccine and to restore consumer confidence,” he said. “I will probably be the last to return to work because what I need is consumer confidence. I need people to be willing to train at a track with a group or to sit in a room with a bunch of other people. It’s going to take a long time.” 

McGovern coaches online but he hasn’t been able to expand the business model beyond a couple of clients.

“Nobody has any goals right now,” he said. “Nobody's racing. Coaching has trickled down to almost nothing. Even if my clients had a marathon or something in the far distant future, it’s hard to train. The tracks are closed, gyms are closed. You can train on the roads but cyclists, from what I’ve seen, don’t tend to wear face masks. I’m even afraid to go out and train with cyclists passing by without face masks.”

 McGovern foresees fear of contracting coronavirus as a formidable foe.

“Even if athletes are social distancing by 6 feet during a marathon or race, the starting line is always a cesspool,” he said. “Twenty-thousand people are packed as tight as you can possibly imagine people at the start of a race.”

As he waits on the coronavirus storm to subside, McGovern plans to write a book. Once his clinics restart, he will require social distancing, masks and even testing.

“That will probably cut down a lot on the ability to get people to show up because not everybody wants to take a test to come to a clinic for the weekend,” he said.