Boston Marathon Postponed To September 14 Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

For the first time in its 124-year history, the Boston Marathon has been postponed. 

The race has been pushed back to Monday, Sept. 14 due to concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Boston Athletic Association and Massachusetts political leaders announced at Boston City Hall on Friday.

The race was set to take place on Monday, April 20. More than 30,000 runners participate in the race.

Massachusetts has seen 108 cases of the virus, including 82 connected to a recent Biogen conference from late February in Boston. Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on Wednesday afternoon. Many schools have shut down or moved to online-only classes. Mayor Marty Walsh canceled the St. Patricks Day Parade in South Boston out of precaution.

This week, city leaders in Boston met to come up with a plan to reschedule the race and try to salvage some of the economic benefits from the race. The decision came after every major American sports league suspended play due to the virus spread. 

The marathon is traditionally held on Patriots' Day since 1987 to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord.

The BAA had been monitoring the virus outbreak through updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Public Health and the World Health Organization.

There are more than 135,400 confirmed cases of the virus globally across at least 111 countries.

The Boston Marathon has never been canceled. In 1918, a modified race was run and featured a military relay due to World War I.

The Boston Marathon is not the first major marathon to be affected by the coronavirus. The Tokyo Marathon on March 1 canceled its mass participation race for more than 38,000 runners and was held with just elite athletes. The option to defer entry until 2021 was given to everyone entered in the race.

The London Marathon is set to take place on April 26 and could be the next major race canceled or postponed. The Barcelona Marathon and World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland were postponed to October. The Rome Marathon, which is Italy's largest marathon, was scheduled for March 29 before being canceled. The Paris Marathon was moved from April 5 to Oct. 18.