The next Paris Marathon will be held on October 17, 2021, organisers announced on Tuesday, after the coronavirus pandemic forced this year’s edition to be cancelled. The half-marathon will go ahead on September 5 next year, added Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). Runners who signed up to take part in the 2020 event will be given the option to compete in 2021 or request a refund. The marathon draws around 50,000 participants each year and winds around famous Paris monuments.

The monuments are such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Notre Dame cathedral, starting and finishing at the Arc de Triomphe.

The prestigious New York, Berlin, Boston and Chicago marathons all fell victim to the global health crisis this year, while those in London and Tokyo were only open to elite runners.