The announcement comes after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that all adults will have been offered a first vaccination dose by September.
The London Marathon director, Hugh Brasher, has said that he is confident the will be able to go ahead in October. The ambitious plan will allow 100,000 people to take part in London Marathon this year.
A record 50,000 people will run in central London on October 3 with another 50,000 running the 26.2 miles at a location of their choice for the virtual event. The announcement comes after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that all adults will have been offered a first vaccination dose by September.
Hugh Brasher said: “It is difficult in a way for a lot of people to imagine from where we are now about what October might look like but the Government has said that everyone in this country should be vaccinated by September.” He also added that the vaccination program and the Government pledge meant London Marathon Events believe that October can deliver something that once again will show humanity and mankind at its best which was one of the original goals of the event.
He said plans to socially distance runners had been made in 2020 before the event was made virtual only, except for elite athletes, and technology had moved forward since then.
Last year’s Virgin Money London Marathon was postponed from April to October due to the pandemic and then changed to a virtual event where most participants achieved the distance from home. A total of 37,966 finished the virtual event in 2020 making it an official Guinness World Records title for the “most users to run a remote marathon in 24 hours”.
Everyone who entered the ballot for the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon will find out on Monday, February 8 if they have been successful.
Unsuccessful applicants will have an exclusive window from Tuesday, February 9 to Tuesday, February 16 to enter the virtual event. General entries will open on Tuesday, February 16, on a first-come, first-served basis.
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