The Rock ‘n’ Roll Montreal Marathon series cancelled for 2020 and 2021

With the next two editions of the Montreal event cancelled, it's fair to assume the race series might never make a comeback in Quebec.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series announced on Friday that the Marathon International de Montréal has been cancelled for 2020 and 2021. The Montreal race, which was scheduled for September 19 and 20, is the only Canadian event in the global series. With this pair of cancellations, it looks like the Rock ‘n’ Roll series might not return north of the border in the foreseeable future, even after 2021.

This year’s running would have been the 30th edition of the Marathon International de Montréal, but the fate of that anniversary race is now uncertain. 

The Marathon International de Montréal normally features four events over two days, and runners could choose between a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon or a full marathon. In 2019, these races attracted more than 18,000 people, with 9,500 runners in the half and 3,100 in the full.

This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions from the Government of Quebec, Rock ‘n’ Roll organizers were forced to pull the plug on the popular race. In the cancellation announcement, organizers added that “after evaluating the future viability of the Marathon International de Montréal, we have concluded that we cannot operate the event in 2021.” 

The announcement went on to apologize to runners who had already registered for the event and to thank the city for its help in years past. Other Rock ‘n’ Roll races have been cancelled in 2020, but runners signed up for many of those events have been told they will be returning.

Rock ‘n’ Roll events in San Diego, Seattle and Savannah, Ga., already have dates set for 2021, and while nothing is set for the Las Vegas race, organizers said they are “determined to come back … even stronger in 2021.” Others have said they cannot return in 2021, but they’re already set to be run in 2022, such as races in New Orleans and Florida.

Montreal joins Rock ‘n’ Roll events in Colorado and New Jersey, to name a couple, that were cancelled this year and next with no promise of a 2022 race. 

posted Wednesday September 2nd
by Ben Snider-McGrath