In view of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the legendary New York City Marathon (NYCM) has now also been canceled. The major event planned for November 1st – the world’s largest marathon with more than 50,000 participants annually – will not take place this year, the organizers announced on Wednesday.
“The cancellation is incredibly disappointing for everyone involved, but it was clearly the course we had to take from a health and safety perspective,” said Michael Capiraso, President of New York Road Runners.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the decision. It shows that the health of runners and spectators comes first: “We are looking forward to the 50th marathon in 2021.”
Second rejection in 50 years
It is only the second rejection in the history of the NYCM, which was held for the first time in 1970. The edition planned for 2012 fell victim to the devastation after hurricane “Sandy”, which hit New York just a week before. Even the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed around 3,000 people, could not prevent it from being carried out. Not even two months later the streets of the US metropolis were walked.
The CoV crisis hit New York particularly hard. In the past few months, the city has been one of the epicentres of the pandemic, but has been able to significantly reduce the number of new infections and deaths and is now considered a success story in the United States in fighting the virus.
The organizers were concerned, however, that participants from other countries and US states could raise the infection rate again. The organizer said that registered runners would now be notified by July 15, when the entry fees could also be refunded.
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