SALT LAKE CITY — Unfortunately for those who enjoy the annual Ogden Marathon, the race will not make it to the starting line this fall after all.
The marathon’s producers, the GOAL Foundation, announced that the 2020 run and all related events have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers cited “the health and safety of their athletes, volunteers and community” as reasons for calling off this year’s marathon.
The marathon had been postponed to Sept. 26 from its original May 16 date because of the coronavirus, but it will now be off the schedule until next spring.
“We acknowledge and empathize greatly with the difficulty in having to make this decision, but are committed to the health and safety of our community and everyone involved with the marathon” GOAL Foundation executive director Eric Bauman said in a news release. “We appreciate your understanding and support in this difficult time.”
Modified options were considered by the organizers, but the GOAL Foundation team eventually concluded that the safety of over 20,000 people and “an exceptional event experience” could not be guaranteed under the circumstances.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the athletes, volunteers, community partners, and sponsors who for the last 19 years, have made the Ogden Marathon one of the best marathons in the entire country,” Ogden mayor Mike Caldwell said in a statement. “We look forward to being able to host the Ogden Marathon and celebrate as a community when it is safe to do so.”
This would have been the 20th Ogden Marathon. That mark will now be delayed until May 15, 2021, when the race and an accompanying “world class expo” are scheduled to return.