Organizers announced that the 43rd running of the Chicago Marathon is canceled due to the pandemic. This comes after many of the six Abbott World Major Marathons have already been canceled this year, including Tokyo, Boston, NYC, and Berlin. Only the London Marathon has yet to be canceled, which is slated for Sunday, October 4th.
“The Chicago Marathon is our city’s beloved annual celebration of more than 45,000 runners, as well as tens of thousands of volunteers, spectators and city residents, all of whom come together race weekend as one community here in our city,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “Like all Chicagoans, I’m personally disappointed that this year’s event won’t take place as originally planned; however, we look forward to welcoming all runners and their cheering squads once again when the Chicago Marathon returns to our city in full force for another very exciting race.”
Registered participants can receive a refund of the race entry fee or they can opt to defer their entry for the 2021, 2022 or 2023 race.
The first Chicago Marathon took place on September 25, 1977 and it had only 4,200 runners. This years event was expected to draw more than 45,000 runners and 1.7 million spectators. Organizers estimate that the race has a $338 million economic impact on the city of Chicago.
The only other time the Chicago Marathon was canceled was in 1987, when Sponsor Beatrice Foods withdrew its support for the race.
“Our highest priority has always been the safety of our participants and our volunteers,” race director Carey Pinkowski said in a statement. “We understand the disappointment, but when we return to the streets of Chicago, it will be a celebratory moment and an uncompromising statement about the collective spirit of who we are as a running community: We are powerful, we are persistent, and we will reach the finish line again.”
Visit the website for more information, https://www.chicagomarathon.com/