The New York City marathon has been pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Runners who were supposed to participate can be refunded or gain free entry in the races to be held in 2021, 2022 or 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by Good Morning America.
Breaking News: The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest, has been canceled this year amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus https://t.co/ZBCMVxKxJz
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 24, 2020
The date for the 50th annual marathon is now Nov. 7, 2021.
“While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city, I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement, the outlet reported. “We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021.”
The cancellation comes after the Boston Marathon was also cancelled for 2020 due to the coronavirus. (RELATED: Boston Marathon Cancelled For The First Time Ever Due To Coronavirus Pandemic)
The @BAA, with our input and support, has determined that the traditional, one-day running of the 124th @BostonMarathon is not feasible this year, for public health reasons.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) May 28, 2020
“While our goal and our hope is to make progress in containing the virus and recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on September 14 or any time this year,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement at the time.
If we thought things would start going back to normal by the end of 2020, we were a long way off. It seems like we aren’t really coming up with any kind of solutions to make life go back to semi-normal amid this whole coronavirus mess. We’re just living in this weird limbo period where life is so far from normal.