The 2020 Berlin Marathon Canceled – Which Marathon Will Be Next?

Earlier this week, the 2020 Berlin Marathon was canceled. This was due to ruling made by the German government that prohibited events of 5,000 people or more. The timeframe for this was up until October 24 which affected the popular Berlin Marathon.

The 2020 Berlin Marathon Canceled

Link: Berlin Marathon Canceled

The Berlin Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors and the second one of those marathons to be canceled this year due to the coronavirus outbreak (the earlier one was the Tokyo Marathon). The Berlin Marathon is also notable as being the first fall marathon to be canceled as well as being the marathon where a majority of recent world records were set.

It should be noticed that this was not a decision that the Berlin Marathon organizers made out of a belief that the coronavirus outbreak would continue up until September 27, the original date. This was a broad decision made by the German government that affected all events over 5,000 people. This included the extremely popular Oktoberfest.

At this time, there is not news of postponement or anything else. I think it is safe to assume that the 2020 edition of this race is not going to happen. There would still be other dates but I would imagine the fear would be that placing it in November is just a few weeks past the October 24 end date on this ruling. It could always be extended and cause yet another cancellation.

Will Other Marathons Follow?

At this point, I honestly believe it is far too early for organizers to cancel their planned marathons. There is a lot to still take place before that would happen. We still have the summer months to get through and European countries will start lifting restrictions soon. Even all the winter/spring marathons that canceled or were postponed did not make announcements until even a few weeks before the events were scheduled.

At this time, I think the only reason that other marathons would also cancel would be if the governments those marathons are in the regions of decide similarly to the German government. That means that we will certainly not hear of any US marathon cancellations at this time as the US prepares to slowly start allowing people to resume their jobs and lives.

But, I do think it is something to be a bit hesitant about when planning which marathon to run. We have an overabundance of fall marathons this year so there are plenty to choose from. One thing to consider is picking a smaller marathon. If you pick a small marathon, it could still take place even in Germany.