The Berlin Marathon will finally fall victim to the corona crisis this year. After a postponement of the road race scheduled for September 27 was last discussed, the organizers canceled the year 2020 on Wednesday.
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The development of a hygiene concept and countless discussions with authorities and experts had shown that the Berlin Marathon could not be carried out this year under the current specifications, according to a press release from the organizer.
“Just because of the weather conditions and the ever shorter days, it is very difficult to hold the Berlin Marathon with its various competitions and event formats this year”, explained Jürgen Jock, managing director of the organizer SCC Events: “There is also the uncertainty as to which Conditions will still apply at a later date. We cannot answer the question of whether athletes can travel internationally again by then. “
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At the end of April, the city of Berlin banned events with more than 5000 participants, since then the originally planned date of September 27th was no longer tenable. Now the postponement plans are off the table.
The corona pandemic also caused the traditional New York Marathon to be canceled on Wednesday. Like the events in Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston and London, the run planned for November 1st with its destination in Manhattan is part of the elite series “World Marathon Majors”.
“The cancellation of this year’s New York City Marathon 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 the organizer “New York Road Runners”. Registered runners would be notified by July 15, at which time the entry fees could be refunded.
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