By Karim El-Bar
LONDON (AA) - The London marathon was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement Friday.
The race was due to take place April 26 and will now be held Oct. 4. The event was expected to draw 43,000 participants.
“The world is in an unprecedented situation grappling with a global pandemic of Covid-19 and public health is everyone’s priority,” said race director Hugh Brasher. “We know how disappointing this news will be for so many – the runners who have trained for many months, the thousands of charities for which they are raising funds and the millions who watch the race every year.”
Brasher promised to post "regular updates" on the race website and social media channels.
After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 123 countries and territories.
The global death toll nears 5,000, with more than 132,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a pandemic.