MILWAUKEE — Amid speculation over cancellation concerns, the Milwaukee Marathon officially announced Thursday that it has canceled the event for 2021, for a second year in a row.
Organizers said in a social media post that like most canceled events these days, the COVID-19 pandemic was partly to blame.
Also problematic was scheduling security for the marathon with the Milwaukee Police Department, which normally secures the route for the runners around traffic and the event's audience. MPD also provides crowd control for the Milwaukee Brewers - a team that is doing quite well this season.
The marathon, originally scheduled for April 10, was postponed earlier this year for Oct. 23 - a date that organizers say became logistically impossible.
"We can honestly say we tried everything we could to make this race happen, yet for the second year in a row, we won’t be able to host an in-person event. We can’t begin to express how sorry we are that this is how everything transpired," the Milwaukee Marathon said.
As eyes look toward 2022, organizers said that they have to wait until Spring "for a chance at redemption." A hard date will have to wait until then.
For participants of the race, organizers released a number of options:
- Defer your registration to the 2022 Milwaukee Marathon (Spring 2022 date to be announced).
- Transfer your registration to the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k – Chicago (November 7, 2021): hotchocolate15k.com/city/chicago
- Transfer your registration to any other Ventures Endurance event: venturesendurance.com/find-your-race
- Receive a full refund for your 2021 registration.
"We know none of these options compare to being able to run together in this city that we all love. All we can say is, we are deeply sorry for this, and we hope we will see you down the road. Thank you for your understanding during this challenging time," organizers said.
However, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is still on, set for Sunday, Oct. 3.
The Lakefront Marathon is an all volunteer run. There are pre-race events on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the UWM Union. Masks are required in the Union.
