All of The Enquirer's coverage of coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to The Enquirer at cincinnati.com/subscribe.

Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon has been postponed until October, organizers announced Monday.

The 22nd running of the Flying Pig was scheduled for May 1 to 3. The event will now be held Oct. 9 to 11.

"That safety has traditionally been evaluated with adverse weather and terrorism in mind for more than 50,000 participants, volunteers and staff on race weekend," a press release states. "With the COVID-19 pandemic and a participant field that represents all 50 states and nearly 30 foreign countries, our ability to produce a safe event for our Flying Pig family, Greater Cincinnati community and society has been compromised."

Organizers have identified four ways to participate in the Flying Pig, as it does not have a refund policy:

Complete a virtual race and you will still receive a medal and a shirt. Registration for the virtual race will remain open. Run the race during the weekend of Oct. 9-11, 2020. Donation: Pig Works is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so you can convert your registration to a donation and receive the tax writeoff as well as 25% off a future registration to any Pig Works event in the next year. Deferral: Free deferral to any of the future Flying Pig Marathon weekends scheduled for 2021, 2022 or 2023.

The organization asks that participants choose an option by April 1 at https://raceroster.com/signin.

The Flying Pig Marathon organizers said if participants need a refund option, contact registration@flyingpigmarathon.com.

"This is not a decision we make lightly. We know the early mornings, long runs and hill repeats won’t get their deserved recognition in about six weeks at our Finish Swine," the release states. "But, the Flying Pig Marathon remains committed to rewarding those emotions and significant accomplishments however we can in these times."

News comes at you fast. Keep up to date with The Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati.com's app.

The Cincinnati Enquirer on the App Store

The Cincinnati Enquirer - Android Apps on Google Play