Due to regulations on the prohibition of major events against the background of Covid-19, the organising team at the BMW Berlin-Marathon has confirmed the cancellation of this year’s event.
Due to take place on September 26-27, 2020, the event has faced an obstacle from Germany’s Infection Protection Act (valid since April 22, 2020). This currently states that events with 5,000 participants or more are prohibited by the responsible authorities until October 24, 2020.
This week all participants will receive the cancellation information, in which two options are offered:
- Transfer of race entry to next year’s BMW Berlin-Marathon on September 25 (skaters) and September 26, 2021 (wheelchair athletes, handbikers and runners); or
- Repayment of the participation fee (100%)
The organising team has issued a statement about the cancellation…
‘Over the past weeks, we have put a lot of commitment and effort into examining all options for holding the BMW Berlin-Marathon 2020 under the given conditions. We worked hard on the development of a hygiene concept and held countless discussions with our experts, the responsible authorities and service providers, among others.
‘The examination of various options in this complex situation have taken a great deal of time. A comprehensive feasibility analysis showed that an event such as the BMW Berlin-Marathon could not be held under the current specifications also not after October 24, 2020, especially not with the high expectations we all have for this event. Naturally, we support the containment measures, as the health of everyone is of utmost importance to us.
‘The BMW Berlin-Marathon will therefore not take place on September 26-27, 2020 due to force majeure, and it is also not possible to hold the event at a later date this year.’
Jürgen Lock Managing Director of SCC EVENTS, which operates the event, said “Due to the weather conditions alone and the ever shorter days, it would be very difficult to hold the BMW Berlin-Marathon with its various competitions and event formats this year.
“Then there is the uncertainty about which regulations will apply at a later date. The question of whether athletes will be able to travel internationally again by then can also not yet be answered.”
Upcoming activities for the BMW Berlin-Marathon 2021
Under the motto #berlin42united – there are a number of activities planned for the BMW Berlin-Marathon community in the coming months. All runners are, from next week, invited to upload a photo online. This can then become part of the official campaign for the BMW Berlin-Marathon 2021. According to the event organisers, ‘This gives the athletes the chance to add to the key visual with their own small pictures, which will help build the community spirit of the BMW Berlin-Marathon.’
The BMW Berlin-Marathon is one of the largest marathons in the world. To date, eleven world records have been set on the superfast route (three by women, eight by men). Since 2003, all seven men’s world records have been achieved on the Berlin route, including the current one in 2:01:39 hours (Eliud Kipchoge), set in 2018. In 2001, Japanese Olympic champion from 2000, Naoko Takahashi, won in 2:19:43 hours, breaking the 2 hours 20 minutes barrier.
The BMW Berlin-Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM), the group of six leading marathons in the world, which was founded in 2006. They comprise the marathons in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
