CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from Aug. 8, 2020.
For the second straight May, the Cleveland Marathon won't be taking place in-person, with the event announcing on Monday that it has decided to postpone until the fall due to COVID-19.
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This year's Marathon, which is sponsored by Union Home Mortgage, was previously scheduled to take place on the weekend of May 15-16. A new date for the marathon and its corresponding events will be selected after the 2021 NFL schedule is released so that it doesn't conflict with one of the Cleveland Browns' home games.
“While we are disappointed that we must postpone race weekend, we are doing everything we can to hold an in-person event because our runners deserve it and we appreciate their patience,” Jack Staph, executive director of the Union Home Mortgage Cleveland Marathon, said in a release. “Our team is dedicated to hosting a safe, high-quality race as we have done for decades, as well as virtual options, and we look forward to gathering together again in the fall. We are confident in our health and safety plan that has been developed with local and state health officials and University Hospitals.”
The Cleveland Marathon is also now offering the following options for runners who deferred their registration from the 2020 event to 2021:
- Participate in one of the 2021 virtual events in May or the fall of 2021
- Participate in the 2021 in-person race in the fall
- Defer to the 2022 race (scheduled for May 21 & 22)
Additionally, those who registered for the 2021 race have been given the following options:
- Participate in one of the 2021 virtual events
- Participate in the 2021 in-person race
While registration for the in-person 2021 Cleveland Marathon has been temporarily paused, registration for the virtual events remains open here.