COVID-19

March 13, 2020

Following New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement to ban gatherings of over 500 people, and with the cases of COVID-19 growing by the day, it is our decision to host the 2020 Queens Marathon and Inaugural QDR Half Marathon to Sunday, November 15th. This date is tentative and will be decided on following the lift on the ban of large gatherings.

We were in constant communications with the Office of the Mayor, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, and local police precincts on a daily basis following all their recommendations. We were prepared to implement highly aggressive strategies in an effort to save the races, but ultimately could not guarantee a fully sterile environment for our runners, volunteers, and staff.

This decision is especially difficult as the event was destined for success never before achieved in a Queens Distance Runners event. We were ready to welcome and support 1,000 runners (most whom we know on a first-name basis), over 300 volunteers, dozens of in-kind sponsors, and numerous new race amenities. We thank everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure timely arrival of crucial race materials, including the warehouse workers who worked overnight to produce the finisher medals. As such, and in accordance with the Terms & Agreements of the event, we will not be able to issue refunds to registered runners. As always, the race fees went to providing the best experience for everyone; this included working with the Queens Museum for bib pickup, local restaurants for deals, and post-race amenities.

All runners who wish to safely run on March 22nd or in the following days will automatically be included in our Virtual Run option. We will also automatically transfer all participants to our tentative November 15th make-up date.

To post your time in the virtual run please follow the following steps:
1) Go to https://elitefeats.com/race-results.asp?ID=20770 starting on March 22nd
2) Search for your name and click ‘update’
3) Enter your time, upload a selfie and/or picture of you on your running app, that’s it!

We all know very well that even though running is an activity performed alone, it is a social sport where we support one another to bring the best out of each other. In this time, we want everyone to stay safe and healthy so we can continue to support the running community for races to come. We deeply thank you for your understanding. We look forward to our date of redemption in November as we proactively assist our communities in the immediate and near future.

Queens Distance Runners