Boston Marathon 2020 will be held as a virtual event after it was cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic for the first time in its 124-year history, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced on Friday.
With the cancellation, they confirmed that in the second week of September, there will be a series of virtual events to compensate.
In a statement on Thursday, the BAA mentioned that all participants will have to show they had run the 42km distance within six hours any time between September 7-14 and they would receive a finisher's medal for the same. The marathon was originally scheduled for April 20 from which it had been postponed to September 14.
"Our top priority continues to be safeguarding the health of the community, as well as our staff, participants, volunteers, spectators, and supporters," said Tom Grilk, CEO of the BAA.
"While we cannot bring the world to Boston in September, we plan to bring Boston to the world for an (sic) historic 124th Boston Marathon."
The BAA also said that all participants who had originally registered for the event, will be offered a full refund of their entry fees.
The statement further read, "Virtual offerings for participants during that week will include exclusive panel discussions, champions interviews, and a downloadable Boston Marathon toolkit that includes signature race elements such as a printable finish line, winner's breaktape, and more. Further details will be sent to all entrants in the near future."
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