The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled to be held in April and then postponed until September because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has now been cancelled for the first time in its history.
The race, held annually since 1897, is the world's most prestigious marathon and generally draws over 30,000 runners from all over the world.
TVNZ News reports the 42km race, which extends from the suburb of Hopkinton to downtown Boston, is the first of the six World Marathon Majors to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought live sports to a standstill in mid-March.
The Tokyo Marathon went ahead on March 1 with elite runners only, London was postponed to Oct. 4 from April 26 and Berlin organisers said the race will not go ahead in September but did not specify if it would be postponed or cancelled altogether.
The Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon have not announced any changes to hold their events in October and November, respectively.
The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19.
[Source: TVNZ]
