Coronavirus pandemic
Only 20,000 to run Boston Marathon
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Runners approaching the finish line on Boylston Street during the 123rd Boston Marathon in April 2019. This year's field is about a third smaller.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES • This year's Boston Marathon will be limited to 20,000 entrants, in a bid allow greater social distancing throughout the course given the coronavirus pandemic, the race organisers said on Monday.
The number of entrants for this year's race, scheduled for Oct 11, is 33 per cent below the typical number of runners at one of the world's most prestigious marathons.
The Boston Athletic Association (BAA), which organises the marathon, said it worked closely with local, city and state partners to establish an appropriate field size for the race that extends from the suburb of Hopkinton to downtown Boston.
"In addition to a smaller field than in previous years, we will have significant additional protocols in place to ensure participant and public health," BAA president Tom Grilk said.
The Boston Marathon, which is typically held in April and generally draws over 30,000 runners - the 2019 edition had 30,234 entrants - from all over the world, had been held annually since 1897 until it was cancelled for the first time last year because of Covid-19.
The ongoing pandemic also forced organisers to push back the date for this year's race.
As a result, all six World Marathon Majors - four of which were axed last year with the other two downsized and held behind closed doors - scheduled this year will now be condensed into a six-week window.
The Berlin Marathon will take place on Sept 26 and the sequence ends with the New York City race on Nov 7.
REUTERS