The starting point of the 2019 marathon

The new date is Sunday September 20, which was originally the date of the half marathon.

Now the half-marathon will be taking place on Sunday, February 28, 2021.

The organisers said all participants who registered for the full marathon on May 3 and the Belfast half marathon on Sunday September 20, will automatically be transferred to the rescheduled events on Sunday, September 20, 2020 or Sunday February 28, 2021.

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There are still weeks to go before the original April registration deadline, but already 12,000 or so people had signed up to participate in marathon events (including the relay and fun run) in May.

In total last year, close to 19,000 people participated.

The statement from the organisers said: “Any participant who does not wish to take part (or are unable to do so) in the rescheduled events on Sunday 20th September 2020 / Sunday 28th February 2021 will be able to defer their entry to the 2021 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon (due to take place on Sunday 2nd May) or 2021 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon (due to take place on Sunday 19th September) but must let us know before Wednesday 1st April 2020.

“Participants who do not wish to take up one of the above options can transfer their entry to someone else for either the rescheduled dates or 2021 event dates. The deadline date for this process is Monday 1st June 2020.”

Its chairman, John Allen, said: “Currently the world is in an unprecedented situation with the global pandemic of COVID -19 and our fundamental priority is the health of everyone. We appreciate your patience since the statement was released on Friday 13th March and would like to thank all our partners and sponsors for helping us to reschedule the 2020 dates of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon and Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon.

“As a Board of Directors we understand that you will all have many questions and would ask that you please bear with us as we work through the logistics as we prepare for our new scheduled dates. We will email you all with updates by the end of next week at the latest, alongside posting regular updates on our official website www.belfastcitymarathon.com and social media channels.

“The situation is disappointing for you all after your hard weeks of training and efforts of fundraising, but we know we can stay strong and gather to celebrate your achievements on the rescheduled dates.”