Jamdammers Running Club of Kingston, the organisers of the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K, as well as partners and stakeholders say that the event will take place virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Race director Alfred Francis says COVID-19 has altered what he calls the ‘runscape’ worldwide, and says Jamaica is no exception.

“With the rise in positive cases locally and globally, we took the decision to cancel the physical participation this year, in the interest of the international and local participants, with the objective of staying safe,” he said. “However, we look forward to returning to normal participation in 2021.

“This is the first time in its 19 years of running that Reggae Marathon is being cancelled. We had put many plans in place to celebrate the 20th staging, but we have had to rethink them in light of the negative impact of the pandemic. We will have additional information on our website for persons who have already registered and are looking at the various options offered in light of the cancellation.”

Organisers say that since its inception in 2001, the Reggae Marathon has had 24,890 participants, with 13,169, or 53 per cent, being entries from over 40 countries.