The 2020 Penn Relays, scheduled for April 23-25, have been canceled due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, according to a release from Penn Athletics on Monday.

The Penn Relays celebrated its 125th consecutive competition in 2019, having run every year, uninterrupted, since 1895.

The University of Pennsylvania, which hosts the Penn Relays, will look to host a substitute track meet in late May or early June, according to the release.

The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania has announced that the 2020 Penn Relays, scheduled for April 23 through 25, has been canceled due to the evolving coronavirus public health threat. The Penn Relays, which has been contested uninterrupted since 1895, celebrated its 125th consecutive running last year. In its place, Penn will endeavor to host a substitute track meet at a later date in late May or early June.

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"Based on the current novel coronavirus pandemic, we cannot host an event in late April without putting our participants, spectators, officials, volunteers, and staff at risk," Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, the director of recreation and intercollegiate athletics at Penn, said in the release. "We remain hopeful that the recent measures put in place by many health organizations, government officials, and academic institutions will curtail the spread of this disease."

The Penn Relays were altered in 1917 and 1918 when several colleges, including most Ivy League institutions, curtailed their track programs during World War I. During World War II, travel restrictions reduced participation and spectator attendance while gas rationing was in effect in 1943 and 1944.

Passaic Relays Cancelled

The Passaic County Coaches Association Executive Committee announced Monday afternoon that the Passaic County Relays set for April 9 and 11, 2020 at Passaic Valley High School have been cancelled with no make-up date.

No decision has been made yet with regard to the Passaic County Championships in view of the continuing Coronavirus crisis.