The Boston Marathon, which has been held in some form every year since 1897, will not be run in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, race organizers announced today.

The race was originally scheduled for April 20, Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts. In March, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) pushed it to September 14 in hopes that the event could be safely held then.

As the months went on, the death toll (now more than 100,000 people in the U.S.) from COVID-19 surged, and Boston became a hotspot for the virus, it became apparent that the storied race was unlikely to happen this year.

Big marathons typically put thousands of people in tight quarters together at a starting area, prime conditions for transmitting the virus. Also, medical personnel are too busy working in hospitals helping coronavirus patients to staff a race of Boston’s size.

“We support the very difficult decision that the governor, the mayor, and public officials all along the marathon route made to safeguard the health and safety of all participants, volunteers, fans, community members, everybody associated with the Boston Marathon every year,” said Tom Grilk, CEO of the BAA.

Grilk said that entry fees will be refunded for everyone who was a registered participant in the race.

The BAA is planning a virtual Boston Marathon. Participants will have to finish a marathon within six hours between September 7 and September 14, and provide proof of timing to the BAA. The medal and race shirt will be awarded to finishers of the virtual race.

“It’s definitely disappointing, but I’m certain the local communities, along with the BAA and John Hancock, are making the right decision for all parties involved,” Des Linden, the 2018 champion, wrote in a text message to Runner’s World. “I know we’re all anxiously awaiting the return to normal, but we can’t rush that process based on what we want, at the expense of what we need.

“When Boston is ready to host the world, I’ll be excited to join the celebration.”

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Since it started, the Boston Marathon has never been fully canceled, except in 1918 when a marathon military relay was run instead. The race was stopped in 2013 after bombs exploded near the finish line.

The BAA, 5K scheduled for September 12, has also been canceled due to coronavirus and entrants will receive refunds.

In a Q&A posted on its website, the BAA said qualifying times for 2020 could be used to register for the 2021 race. Officials are reviewing specifics involved in the registration procedure for 2021. Additional details about the qualifying window and registration for 2021 will be announced in the coming weeks.

Boston is one of the most difficult marathons to enter. Hopefuls must run a qualifying time for their age and gender or they must gain a spot through a charity and raise thousands of dollars for that cause.

Every year, more runners qualify for the race than the race field can hold. The Boston registration system fills with the fastest runners first. This has created an annual “cutoff” point, the time by which people needed to beat their qualifying standard in order to actually get into the race. For the 2020 race, the cutoff was 1 minute, 39 seconds.

Boston’s cancellation for 2020 does not bode well for the other World Marathon Major races planned for the fall. Organizers of the Berlin Marathon, scheduled for September 27, had already said the race would not go on in its typical format on that date. The London Marathon, which was to be held on April 26, was pushed to October 4, and race director Hugh Brasher acknowledged uncertainty in a letter to participants. The Chicago Marathon is scheduled for October 11, and the New York City Marathon, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is to be held on November 1.

—This story will be updated.

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Sarah Lorge Butler

Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!