Covid: New Swindon Half Marathon off as pandemic pushes costs up

The race was due to take place on 19 September

A town's half marathon has been cancelled because of the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The New Swindon Half Marathon was due to take place on 19 September but organisers said rising costs had forced it to be called off.

Costs associated with making the route safe using private medical services to keep pressure off local NHS was not feasible, it said.

People who entered are being encouraged to run a virtual race instead.

In a message sent to participants, organisers said some of the event's suppliers and contractors are currently "in such high demand that we are required to pay a premium for critical services".

'Fewer runners entered'

Paying for those, and for traffic management along the route, was not possible, they added.

In a statement, they said: "If we'd seen record entry levels from runners, meeting these costs and justifying the impact of the event may have been possible, but sadly, significantly fewer runners have entered the New Swindon Half Marathon this year than any other year."

Recommended half marathon routes in the area have been published on the race's website and runners are being encouraged to take on the distance and enter their time, for which they will still be sent a medal and finisher's T-shirt.

Runners can also use their fee for this year to secure a place at next year's event.