Cincinnati's famed Flying Pig Marathon, a Queen City mainstay for more than 20 years, announced Monday that it is postponing the event to October this year "in the interest of public health."
The marathon, which draws competitors from all over the world, had been scheduled for May 1-3. It will now take place Oct. 9-11.
"Like so many other events, businesses and individuals, this decision is one that is extremely difficult, but ultimately places the health and safety of individuals in our community, state and country above all else," spokeswoman Jackie Reau wrote in a release.
In a statement posted to its Facebook page on March 13, President and CEO Iris Simpson Bush wrote how the team was "vigorously monitoring the situation" and had met with "city leaders, local police, our medical director and other national road race directors" to discuss logistics.
The release notes that since the organization has a "no refund" policy, it is offering four options for runners: run the race in October; complete a "virtual race" tracked by Runkeeper with results submitted on Race Roster to receive a shirt and medal; convert registration into a donation to the nonprofit; or defer to any future Flying Pig Marathon scheduled for 2021, 2022 or 2023.
"We realize this is an unprecedented time and the above four options may not work for everyone," Reau writes, adding if anyone feels they have extenuating circumstances they may contact registration@flyingpigmarathon.com.
