Covid-19: New York City and Berlin marathons cancelled

The New York City Marathon

Since its creation in 1970, the New York City Marathon has only been cancelled once in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy [4]. The long-distance race is the most popular in the world. In 2019, it broke the record for the largest number of participants crossing the finish line: 53 640 athletes.

For 2020, the organisers expected the same number of runners, almost half of whom being foreigners.

The 50th New York City Marathon is postponed to 7 November 2021. According to the organizers, those registered for the 2020 edition shall choose whether to have their registration fees refunded or postpone their participation to one of the next three editions.

The Berlin Marathon

Established in 1974, the Berlin Marathon takes place at the end of September each year. The 42.195km event has never been cancelled before. Scheduled for 27 September 2020, the event is cancelled as gatherings of more than 5 000 people are prohibited in Germany until 24 October.

Together with the New York City Marathon, the Berlin Marathon is one of the largest events of its kind worldwide where the last seven marathon records were broken between 2003 and 2018.