Marathon again goes virtual due to virus

Pandemic also nixes St. Paddy’s parade

The COVID-19 pandemic has gotten the better of two of Pittsburgh’s most popular events: the marathon and the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Organizers of the events announced this week that both had been canceled, although the parade might make a comeback later in the year if the virus subsides enough.

The 2021 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, set for May 2, was unable to secure a city permit, officials said in a statement Thursday. City officials determined May would be too soon to hold an event that attracts upward of 40,000 runners and hundreds of thousands more spectators.

The statement said officials from the city and P3R, which organizes the race, tried to develop a safe way to hold the marathon.

“We have worked for months right alongside our partners at the City of Pittsburgh to plan for this event, and we are so grateful for all of their help and support,” P3R CEO Troy Schooley said. “We understand the difficult position they are in, and we know that our partners with the city are just as excited as all of us at P3R to get back to a live start line this summer at the Fleet Feet Liberty Mile and the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race.”

Registered participants will have the option to race virtually and to earn a finisher’s medal, an event shirt and a running jacket for qualifying events, the statement said. They can also choose to receive a refund of their registration fee.

“All of us at the City of Pittsburgh are optimistic that we will be able to host in-person events as soon as it is safe to do so,” Mayor Bill Peduto said. “We will continue to work closely with P3R in the coming weeks and months to host inperson races and other events starting this summer.”

COVID-19 also has claimed the 2021 Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the second year in a row.

In a post on the parade’s Facebook page Wednesday, organizers said the decision was made because of virus concerns. They said they were working with the city to reschedule the event, which would have been held March 13.

“Due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic and continued health concerns surrounding large gatherings, the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee, in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh, has made the decision to postpone the annual Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” the post said.

“The St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee is working with the City of Pittsburgh to identify a date in the latter half of 2021

when a parade can safely be celebrated.”

The parade is a longstanding tradition in Pittsburgh, with the earliest records dating to 1869, according to the parade’s website.

The 2020 parade was also canceled because of COVID19 concerns — the first time the event was not held since 1950, according to parade’s website.

On his own Facebook post, parade chairman J. Mac McCafferty said organizers are “looking at September” as a potential time to reschedule the event.