Organizers canceled the Boston Marathon on Thursday for the first time in its history, bowing to the social distancing requirements of COVID-19 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 April 20 to Sept. 14, will be replaced by a virtual event in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles on their own will receive their finisher's medal.
"It became clear as this crisis developed that Sept. 14 was less and less plausible," Mayor Marty Walsh said.
Although the title of Boston Marathon champion is contested by a few dozen elite athletes, the field includes more than 30,000 recreational and charity runners.
The longest-running annual marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon began in 1897. In 1918, the format was modified to a relay due to World War I; the 2013 race was stopped when two bombs exploded at the finish line, several hours after the winners had finished but while many recreational runners were still on the course.
NFL
Next week targeted for coaches' return
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful coaches will be able to return to team facilities by next week.
Goodell said after an owners conference call that the virtual offseason is being extended for two more weeks.
NFL owners tabled a proposal that would have offered a fourth-and-15 play as an alternative to the onside kick. They approved testing expanded use of video replay in the preseason to aid in officiating.
