NYC Marathon: 2020 Race Will Go On, But Only For This One Guy From Brooklyn
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The 2020 New York City Marathon will go on as planned, organizers said today, but with several restrictions in light of the coronavirus pandemic—including a field size of one. In a news release, they described the field for this fall’s race as “exciting,” “very competitive,” and “Alan, this guy from Brooklyn.”
The announcement from the New York Road Runners ended weeks of uncertainty and speculation, as other major running events canceled or postponed their 2020 races.
From the news release:
We at the New York Road Runners know better than anyone that the New York City Marathon isn’t just a road race, but an institution, greater than the sum of its parts. So many people, both here in the Big Apple and around the world, would be devastated if we canceled the race outright.
At the same time, we are living through a global health crisis that we are still trying to understand and contain, and New York City has been hit particularly hard.
We are confident that we can balance both of these realities, preserving the magic of the Marathon while ensuring the safety and well-being of runners and spectators. Therefore we are pleased to announce that the Marathon will go on, as scheduled, November 1, but on a smaller scale and with a few common-sense precautions.
Those measures will include hand-painted circles on sidewalks along the route, six feet apart, to help spectators maintain social distancing; face masks and gloves for all volunteers; and hand washing stations at the marathon’s start and finish, plus several points between.
Most notably, the field size will be slashed from an estimated 53,000 to one.
The event’s sole participant was identified as Alan Sillitoe, 28, a graphic designer from Park Slope, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Sillitoe was chosen via lottery.
The move is not without precedent; in March, responding to the coronavirus outbreak, Tokyo Marathon organizers restricted that event to elites only, shrinking the field from 38,000 to about 200. The New York City Marathon, according to the NYRR news release, is taking the same approach “to the next level.”
“The safety and health of our participants will always be our top priority,” it read. “We thank everyone in advance for your understanding, and we wish Alan the best in his training and in his race this fall.”
