Spoilt for choice

The US publication Race Results Weekly observes that not since the Sydney Olympics in 2000 will the month of September hold more interest for distance running if the current schedule of events holds.

Already a month which routinely features great competitions like the BMW Berlin Marathon, this September will also feature a superb array of events which have been rescheduled from the spring due to the COVID19 pandemic.

Traditional September events like the Birell Grand Prix 10-K in Prague (5 Sept.); Copenhagen Half-Marathon, Great North Run and New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile (13 Sept); Blackmores Sydney Marathon, Dam tot Damloop, and Rock ’n’ Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon (20 Sept); and BMW Berlin Marathon, ING Route du Vin Half-Marathon, and Maratonina Città di Udine (27 Sept) are all scheduled for their traditional weekends.

This year some of the world’s best spring road races will join these traditional September events creating an exceptionally crowded calendar. For example Great Manchester Run, Lisbon Half Marathon, Prague Half Marathon, Boston Marathon, Carlsbad 5000 and many more. In addition to these events, another 35 prominent spring road races have been rescheduled for October and November, including the Virgin Money London Marathon (4 Oct), Debno Marathon (11 Oct), World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships (17 Oct), Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris (18 Oct), and NN Marathon Rotterdam (25 Oct).