The 2020 edition of the Boston Marathon, initially postponed from April 20 to September 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will finally not take place, the organizers of the event and the city's mayor announced on Thursday.
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"The Boston Athletic Association, with our contribution and support, has determined that hosting the 124th Boston Marathon is not feasible this year due to public health reasons , " said Mayor Martin Walsh. "There is no way to keep the usual race format without bringing large numbers of people together ," he added. Each year, around 500,000 spectators attend the marathon.
"While our objective and our hope were to contain the virus and revive our economy, organizing this kind of event would be neither responsible nor realistic on September 14 or at any time this year," he concluded.
"Our top priority remains the preservation of the health of the community, as well as that of our staff, participants, volunteers, spectators and supporters," said Tom Grilk, CEO of this competition.
It is the first time that the oldest marathon in the world, created in 1897, has been canceled. Neither the World Wars, nor the tensions inside the country, nor the sometimes extreme climatic conditions had prevented its unfolding.