Brighton Marathon cancelled due to the coronavirus concerns

The Brighton Marathon is cancelled amid virus fears.

The race, which normally draws more than 17,000 runners, was due to go ahead on September 20.

But organisers said that despite efforts to find a suitable way forward, they have “sadly” made the decision to cancel.

A spokesman said: “Following the decision in March 2020 to postpone Brighton Marathon Weekend 2020, we have collaborated with major UK mass participation event organisers, our local authority, our safety advisers and our medical team to fully understand how our event could take place while meeting Covid-19 restrictions and the recently updated Government guidance for events.

“Despite our best efforts to find a viable way forwards, we have together concluded that sadly, it is not feasible to stage our event as we had hoped and planned.”

A place in the 2021 Brighton Marathon Weekend is guaranteed for all 2020 general entry and charity entry registrants.

If you secured your entry through a charity, you must contact your charity regarding your place.

The cancellation decision was made because organisers believe social distancing city-wide will be “extremely difficult to implement and manage” for such a large crowd. They also cite the effect the marathon’s runners and crowds could have on NHS services.

The organisers said they hoped some kind of event would take place in the autumn.

However, they have provided few details about it, which has led to some confusion online.

They said only that they hoped to stage part of the Brighton Marathon Weekend in a “unique and revised” format in the autumn.

The spokesman said: “While we are unable to shut down large parts of our city to make way for our usual 26.2-mile course under current guidelines, we are working towards creating a socially distanced, Covid-19 compliant event, which our 2020 participants will be invited to be part of.”

The event is Britain’s second biggest marathon.

In 2019, the Brighton Marathon Weekend returned to the city for its tenth consecutive year, bringing with it an estimated 17,500 runners and 150,000 spectators.

The event included three races across the weekend.

posted Friday July 31st
by Jody Doherty-Cove