New York City Marathon cancelled due to coronavirus

It was announced on Wednesday morning that the 2020 edition of the New York City Marathon, scheduled for November 1, has been cancelled due to coronavirus. The decision comes a month after Boston Marathon organizers cancelled their already-postponed event, which was rescheduled to September. 

The 2020 #TCSNYCMarathon, set to take place on Nov. 1, has been canceled due to coronavirus-related health and safety concerns. Registered runners will be contacted by July 15 regarding their cancellation resolution options, including a refund. Learn more: https://t.co/8TlWiekDss pic.twitter.com/mUnrcCayaz

— TCS New York City Marathon (@nycmarathon) June 24, 2020

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) cancellation announcement said event organizers worked with the office of the mayor of New York City to come to this decision, and that “due to coronavirus-related health and safety concerns for runners, spectators, volunteers, staff and the many partners and communities that support the event,” they had no choice but to cancel. 

RELATED: Canadian results from 2019 TCS New York City Marathon

“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,” Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, said in the press release. “We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021.” 

New York Road Runners announces the 2020 New York City Marathon (Nov. 1) has been CANCELED due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 50th running of the biggest marathon will be celebrated in 2021. pic.twitter.com/1yPBaKALYQ

— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) June 24, 2020

Michael Capiraso, the president and CEO of NYRR, said cancelling the event is “incredibly disappointing for everyone involved, but it was clearly the course we needed to follow from a health and safety perspective.” New York state has 389,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is more than double any other state in the U.S. Organizers said there will be more information to come for athletes signed up for the 2020 event. 

RELATED: NYC Half cancelled due to coronavirus

Shortly following the NYRR announcement, organizers of the Berlin Marathon officially cancelled their event. Due to guidelines set by the German government, it looked highly unlikely that Berlin would go ahead in 2020, and the final decision was made Wednesday.