Press Release

The Marathon Beneva de Montréal organizers announce the cancellation of the 2021 races

15 Jun, 2021 (Tue)
Credit : Loimere

Montréal, Tuesday, June 15, 2021 – As of today, the government’s re‐opening plan measures and the instructions issued specifically to the attention of festivals and events do not permit the holding of the Marathon Beneva de Montréal, the great sporting, participatory and festive gathering that had been planned for this fall. After having considered multiple scenarios, jointly with their private and public partners, it is with great disappointment that the organizers must cancel the event scheduled for September 24 to 26. However, the City of Montreal intends to renew its support of Événements GPCQM so that this major event for the city and for running enthusiasts can be held from September 23 to 25, 2022.

“The Marathon Beneva de Montréal is a historic, signature event for the city. If we consider the restrictions as of now, every possible scenario would mean a completely watered‐down event. We wouldn’t be able to do justice to the scope of the experience or comply with the many health and operational guidelines, such as site capacity, physical distancing and monitoring along the courses of up to 42 km, and still satisfy all of our participants,” says Sébastien Arsenault, President and CEO, Événements GPCQM. “Right now, there are no guarantees for organizers of large gatherings that any loosening of restrictions will happen by early fall. Even though forecasts seem optimistic, the fact remains that there is still uncertainty, and the nature of our event requires significant operational and human planning that could not be arranged at the last minute. There are limits to agility, especially when you will be occupying public space and requiring extensive deployment of public services. It therefore seems more respectful and responsible to postpone our appointment with running enthusiasts to 2022, when the experience will be up to expectations.”

“As the title partner of the Marathon Beneva de Montréal, we agree with Événements GPCQM’s decision to cancel its September races, and are already looking forward enthusiastically to the 2022 edition,” says Martin Robert, Executive Vice‐President and Lead – Talent, Culture and Communication of Beneva, born from the coming together of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance. “Although the event will not be held this year, Beneva’s commitment remains unchanged: to promote engaging in sports and adopting healthy lifestyle habits, which provide so many health benefits. That’s why we’re still encouraging people to put on their running shoes and get moving, and saying: See you next year!”

“After announcing the cancellation of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal just a few days ago, it’s obviously very sad for us to now be putting the Marathon Beneva de Montréal on hold, when we have only just taken over the event,” Arsenault adds. “But we are proud of this return to our roots, that we’ve been able to share our vision of the event and build significant public and private partnerships. We would like to thank all our partners and stakeholders for their commitment and support during this period of uncertainty. And lastly, we thank everyone who registered for placing their trust in us, and we look forward to seeing them next year. Over the next 15 months, we’ll be actively providing support and guidance as they prepare for their 2022 challenge.”

REFUNDS

> Participants registered for the 2021 event have the option of receiving a full refund of their registration (including transaction fees), or a deferral to 2022.

> During the registration process, participants were invited to donate to organizations supported by the Marathon Beneva de Montréal. To encourage them to maintain their gift, the race organizers, with the support of Beneva, have decided to match their donations and thus increase the total contribution.

> For more details: https://mtlmarathon.com/en/procedure‐participants/
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