20,000-Runner Ome 30 km Road Race Canceled

On Aug. 14 the organizers of the Ome 30 km Road Race announced that next year's 55th edition scheduled for Feb. 21 would not be held, with the next planned running bumped back one year. Organizers cited the difficulty in ensuring safety and security during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. "We have carefully discussed the situation with the different organizations involved, but given the nature of a large-scale event with 20,000 participants we decided that it would not be possible to do it in a safe and secure way at this point," they explained.

The organizers are planning an alternate event. This year's race this past February was held amid concerns that it should be canceled in the midst of the initial spread of the coronavirus in Tokyo, but with measures including the use of masks and disinfectants and a ban on high-fiving it was held without incident. Tokyo Olympics women's marathon trials winner Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) won in an Asian record time of 1:38:35.

Translator's note: One of Japan's most popular races, Ome joins the Marugame Half Marathon, the Kumanichi 30 km, and six Japanese marathons with fields of over 8,000 in already canceling next year's race. Ome was previously canceled in 1996, 2008 and 2014, all due to heavy snow.

source articles:
https://www.daily.co.jp/general/2020/08/14/0013603051.shtml
translated by Brett Larner

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