The New York Marathon, originally scheduled for November 1, was postponed Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic, announced the New York Road Runners association, which is organizing the event.
New York was, by far, the city in the world most affected by the Covid-19
This is the second time that the world’s most popular cross-country race has been canceled, after the 2012 break after Hurricane Sandy. The canceled edition should have been of an exceptional nature, as it was the 50th New York Marathon, established in 1970. “Canceling this year’s marathon is a huge disappointment for all associated with it,” commented the New York Road Runners CEO Michael Capiraso quoted in a statement, “but that was clearly the way to go from a health safety perspective.”
“Make the health and safety of spectators and runners a priority”
New York has been by far the city in the world most affected by Covid-19, which has caused more than 22,000 deaths. The organizers will offer the option to registrants to have their registration fees refunded or to postpone their participation to 2021, 2022 or 2023. “I applaud the decision of the New York Road Runners to make health and wellness a priority. spectator and runner safety, “New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the statement.
The 50th New York Marathon is now scheduled for November 7, 2021
Although far from being the most competitive in terms of times achieved, due to a difficult course, the New York Marathon is the most popular annual cross-country race in the world. During the 2019 edition, he broke the record for the number of participants who crossed the finish line of a marathon, with 53,640 runners. NYRR vice president for media Chris Weiller said before the cancellation, the organization expected “more than 53,000” runners to finish this year, including around 25,000 from overseas. The 50th New York Marathon is now scheduled for November 7, 2021.
Berlin marathon canceled
Shortly after the announcement from across the Atlantic, the organizers of the Berlin Marathon, initially scheduled for September 27, announced that the event was simply canceled for the same reasons. Given the ban on any gathering of more than 5,000 people in Berlin until October 24, organizers have been working on other options to postpone the event. But the attempt to develop a health protocol with local authorities and experts to protect runners was unsuccessful.
“As hard as we have worked, it is currently not possible to organize the marathon”, indicate the organizers on their site: “Fun, good humor, health and success are the elements that characterize” the marathon of Berlin, “but we are not able to guarantee all of this at the moment”. Berlin is traditionally the meeting place for tens of thousands of runners from all over the world.
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