For the first time in its 124 year history, the Boston Marathon has been canceled as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh made the announcement in a Thursday afternoon press conference in conjunction with the Boston Athletic Association (BAA).
The event, which originally was rescheduled from April 20 to September 14 back in March, will next take place on April 19, 2021.
As of now, no other domestic fall major marathon has been canceled. In the U.S., the Chicago Marathon is scheduled for October 11 and the NYC Marathon on November 1.
"There's no way to hold this usual race format without bringing large numbers of people into close proximity," said Walsh.
"While our goal and our hope was to make progress and contain the virus in recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on September 14 or anytime this year."
BAA announced that a virtual race, to be contested throughout the second week of September, will take the place of the traditional running of the historic event. Participants who signed up for the original race will receive a full refund but can still participate in the virtual race.