BOSTON (WHDH) - BOSTON (WHDH) – Boston city leaders, along with officials from other communities along the Boston Marathon’s 26.2-mile race route, are close to reaching a decision on postponing the iconic event, sources told 7NEWS on Thursday.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh held a meeting at Boston City Hall Wednesday to discuss the possibility of rescheduling the marathon for a date in the fall due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, 7’s Steve Cooper has learned.
At this time, Labor Day weekend is not being considered as a possible date for the run because of the thousands of college students who will be flocking to Boston for the start of classes, sources said. Columbus Day weekend is not an option either because of the Chicago Marathon.
Walsh told reporters earlier this week that he would rather see the marathon postponed if it can’t run as scheduled due to the major economic impact it has on the city.
“If for some reason the marathon can’t run in April, I’d much prefer to see a postponement rather than a cancellation. I talked about the economic impact for businesses is $211 million,” Walsh said. “This conversation is very fluid.”
Hundreds of thousands of people line the racecourse each Patriots Day to cheer on the 30,000 runners who typically take part in the grueling trek.
Runners say this news is not stopping their training.
“Unfortunately this is the time when a lot of people are peaking in their training meaning they are running their longest miles and hardest efforts,” runner Stephanie Cham said. “I think its disappointing but everyone understands for health reasons right decision to make.”
As of right now, the marathon is slated to take place on Monday, April 20.
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