- Organizers say ‘virtual event’ will be held as alternative
- Next year’s Boston Marathon is scheduled for 19 April
Organizers canceled the Boston Marathon on Thursday for the first time in its history, bowing to the social distancing requirements of the coronavirus outbreak and ending a 124-year run that had persisted through two World Wars, a volcanic eruption and even another pandemic.
The race, which draws a field of 30,000 and already had been postponed from 20 April to 14 September, will be replaced by a virtual event in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles (42.2 km) on their own will receive their finisher’s medal.
