The pandemic erased the crowds from the world map for much of 2020 and 2021. In sport it meant the departure of the public stadiums, pavilions, circuits, ports … And also the cancellation of popular races. The big marathon events were not spared. From the six so-called Majors, the most important, last year only two were organized, Tokyo and London, but reduced to elite competition. Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York they closed the activity waiting for safer times. The spring window, which traditionally houses half of them, didn’t improve the outlook either, so they all relocated in the fall. Its celebration since September has returned a certain normality to popular athletics, to the extensive running sector.
London exceeded 40,000 athletes, the most massive participation so far. Chicago reached 35,000. Boston hosted about 20,000. Berlin put the cap at 25,000, when it usually exceeds 60,000. AND New York It will close on November 7 with 33,000 runners out of its usual 55,000. Single Tokyo, initially scheduled for next Sunday, has again hit the brakes with another postponement until March 2022 due to its current state of emergency. There are still restrictions, of course, but the marathons are beginning to see the light, in parallel with the return of the public to the venues. The trend in Spain has been similar. Madrid was finally able to organize its marathon on September 26, after 29 months of drought. Barcelona, on November 7, and Valencia, on December 5, appear in perspective, like many others. The return of popular racing is great news for the sport. And not only because of the physical and healthy activity, but also because of its social and economic aspect. The city of Madrid, for example, moves 40 million euros on your weekend.