From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — The 2021 Mercedes-Benz Marathon, which was scheduled for late-February in Birmingham, has been postponed due to complications surrounding COVID-19.
The decision was made jointly by Birmingham Marathon, Inc. and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., and was announced on Tuesday morning through a press release.
“This was a very difficult decision, but it is in the best interest of all participants and spectators,” said event chairman Valerie Cuddy. “The COVID-19 situation is too fluid to accurately predict the conditions we will see in February. We don’t want to do anything to risk the health and safety of anyone involved as we are also following the lead of the city of Birmingham as they are delaying the approval of city-wide events. And please remember our official charity, The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, as we all navigate through this time.”
According to Tuesday’s announcement, a tentative reschedule has been made for spring 2021.
“COVID-19 has affected so many aspects of our lives over the last year,” said President and CEO of MBUSI. “Our plant has taken extensive safety precautions in the workplace since we restarted production after a four-week hiatus in March. We have told our team members to expect to continue wearing masks and follow our measures through the end of 2020 and most likely through a significant part of 2021. We could not in good conscience support holding the event in February and potentially create an environment where COVID-19 could thrive. We will make every effort to help make sure the 20th anniversary race takes place—whether it happens in 2021 or 2022.”
