Steven Rojas was ready. He had already started the program of long runs, track workouts, and tempo efforts prescribed by Brooklyn Track Club in anticipation of running the 2020 New York Marathon.
Then the novel coronavirus hit. Organizers cancelled the 26.2-mile (42.1-kilometer) race that famously winds through all five New York boroughs; later they announced it would be held on Nov. 7, 2021, a date that will mark its 50th running. But uncertainty still hangs for the 30,000-plus runners entered to participate this year; in an email, a spokesperson from New York Road Runners Club — the entity that organizes the marathon — said that those chosen for a bib will be announced later this year.
"We had more than 30,000 runners registered for the 2020 TCS New York City Marathon,” said Trina Singian. "This reflects the runners registered prior to the cancellation in June 2020. Since it was canceled mid-year, many runners including charity runners, international runners, etc., had yet to register. The 30,000-plus runners have been given the option to run either 2021, or 2022, or 2023 or choose a refund.”