The 2021 Marine Corps Marathon has been canceled for the second time in the race’s 46 year history. An announcement from the marathon cited “security and safety precautions currently in place” as the reason for suspending in-person competition.
Originally scheduled to take place from October 29 to October 31, the marathon will offer a virtual alternative where runners can run the same distance on their own. The virtual alternative was already available prior to the cancelation announcement. Would-be racers can opt into the surrogate race, which they can run any time between October 1 and November 10. They can also defer their entry to 2022 or receive a refund of registration fees.
Last year’s in-person marathon was also called off due to Covid—the first cancelation since the race started in 1976.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
