Bristol Half Marathon cancelled, 2021 date announced
Posted on: 02 Jul 2020The annual sporting event has been cancelled due to outbreak of COVID-19.
The cancellation of this year's Great Bristol Half Marathon has been announced, as organisers say safety is their top priority.
The 13-mile run was due to take place on Sunday 27 September, but have said there is "no option to stage the event as planned, or at a later date in the year."
Runners who entered can claim a refund, and runners without a charity place can roll over their entry for next year's race, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday 19 September 2021.
Today we confirm cancellation of the Great Bristol Half Marathon.
— Great Run (@Great_Run) July 1, 2020
We know this is disappointing but we’re sure everyone will understand why this decision has been made.
Thank you for your patience & understanding. Full statement & FAQs here: https://t.co/9lbJo2sgm2 pic.twitter.com/G0R8Z7osD8
An update on the website says: "We know our runners may be disappointed, because we are too, we love delivering our events."
In the update, The Great Run company also urges charity runners to support their chosen cause during coronavirus:
"Many of you would have been taking on this challenge for charity; your donation is still important to them, even more so at this time.
"We encourage you to recognise all the hard work you have already put in, celebrate what you have achieved so far and consider still passing on the money you have raised to your chosen charity."
Runners without a charity place can roll their entry into the next Great Bristol Half Marathon by completing the online entry rollover form before Monday 17 August.
A full list of FAQs can be found on the Great Run website.
.jpg "Great Bristol Half Marathon 2019")
Great Bristol Half Marathon 2019
Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company said:
"We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority."
"Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great Bristol Half Marathon while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS."
"However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel.
"This is even more disappointing given we had to cancel the Great Bristol 10k in May and so our loyal Bristol runners have not had the chance to take part in a Great Run this year.
"We are delighted to be able to offer our Half Marathon runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021.
"We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding."
We're loving all your #GreatRunSolo photos!
— Great Run (@Great_Run) June 16, 2020
So far we've had over 7000 entries, all raising funds for the #NHS. A big thank you from us, but keep running ???? we've got new challenges & distances coming soon! Your challenge awaits... find out more here ???? https://t.co/wLa70Ltf1T pic.twitter.com/aU1CfJDy5G
Great Run's solo running challenge, Great Run Solo, is raising funds for the NHS. There are weekly and monthly challenge options, as well as challenges for kids.
He added: "Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement.
"We encourage those who were signed up to run the event to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible."
Keep up to date with the Great Bristol 10K and Half Marathon on the Great Run website: www.greatrun.org/events.
Read more:
