One of the West Midlands’ largest mass-participation sporting events has been cancelled.
The Great Birmingham Run half marathon was due to be held on October 11 but has fallen victim to coronavirus pandemic and ban on large gatherings.
Along with its sister event in May, the Great Birmingham 10k which was also cancelled, it is worth millions to the city's economy and especially the hospitality industry as bars and restaurants are packed with runners celebrating their achievements post-race.
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Speaking exclusively to the BusinessLive in May, Great Run Company chief executive Paul Foster said he feared the company would not be able to host any more events this year.
He said 2020 would not “go down as a vintage one” as it battled the economic fallout of so many cancellations which included its flagship Great North Run, due to take place on September 13.
A statement from Great Run Company said: "Due to the covid-19 outbreak, we need to cancel the 2020 Great Birmingham Run.
"We know our runners may be disappointed because we are too….but there's no option to stage the event as planned or at a later date in the year.
"We know that event day is only part of the challenge and our runners have probably put in many miles towards their training already.
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"Many of you would have been taking on this challenge for charity, your donation is still important to them, even more so at this time.
"We encourage you to recognise all the hard work you have already put in, celebrate what you have achieved so far and consider still passing on the money you have raised to your chosen charity.
"Thank you for your patience and continued support at this challenging time. We hope to see you on a Great Run start line again soon."
Runners can roll their entry forward to the 2021 Great Birmingham Run, which is due to take place on October 10, or receive a refund instead.