Covid-19 Crushes Bowerman Track Athlete’s Olympic Dreams

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As most distance runners know, there’s a fine line between feeling under the weather and being seriously ill; and there’s also a fine line between having an illness that can recovery on its own and one that needs medical attention. For Gwen Jorgensen, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in triathlon who transitioned to marathoning last year, the latter scenario has unfortunately become a reality for her.

On Thursday, March 26th, Jorgensen, 33, announced on YouTube that she had contracted Covid-19 and is undergoing treatment at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland Oregon. Jorgensen first noticed fatigue and slight trouble breathing during a workout with her teammates at Nike HeadQuarters but later fell ill with severe flu symptoms and was brought to the hospital.

While the source of exposure is still unknown, Jorgensen does admit to going to playgrounds with her young son Stanley, as well as the grocery store with her husband Patrick. Additionally, Jorgensen had traveled for 2 races on the east coast at the beginning of the month.

For Jorgensen, who made her season debut in Washington last month says, “I was really just starting to feel fast and confident again.”

“It’s unfortunate to be faced with such a setback,” she said. “Since last year, I have tried to make a couple different comebacks, but injury and illness have come in the way.”

Jorgensen explained that before Indoor season, her training was going great: She was putting in 85-mile weeks without ever having to miss a workout because of injuries or illness. The consistent mileage gave her confidence, she said, since she was coming from a triathlon and marathon background and wasn’t sure how her legs would hold up with quicker, running-specific training required for the track. During her triathlon days, she had been fortunate to be mostly injury-free and illness-free, save for a few flare-ups that kept her sidelined for no more than a couple days at a time—she never dealt with anything chronic.

This particular illness, however, wouldn’t budge, from March 20th and into the end of March. Jorgensen said that she often told her husband, Patrick, that “I’m a 60 percent today, I’m at 70 percent today,” but never felt as strong as she could be, because of what she thought was just a cold.

“I know that to be my best and compete at the highest level, there’s no way I can be at 70 percent,” she said. After trying other treatments—including rest and over the counter cold and flu medication, she decided that a trip to the ER for testing was her best option given the pandemic going on.


According to health officials, Jorgensen is facing a lengthy recovery time; two weeks on bedrest, doing no exercise; six weeks of cross-training but no running; then a gradual build-up into running again. If all goes well, she should be back training full-time in two to three months—just in time to hop in on a strong summer training block.

While she recovers, Jorgensen said she is keeping her mind off racing. Instead, she is looking forward to spending time with Patrick and—her favorite distraction—their son, Stanley.

“I don’t want to put a timeline on this,” she said in the video. “I’m just focused on being healthy. I’m not focusing on when my next race is or making race or training plans.”

This is a satirical website. Don't take it Seriously. It's a joke.

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