2021 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon postponed to October

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Next year’s annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, run in honor of victims of the 1995 bombing that killed 168 and wounded many more, will again be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, race organizers announced Tuesday.

The 2021 event is set for the weekend of Oct. 2, in another reminder that the effects of COVID-19 — which the state says has killed more than 1,400 people in Oklahoma — won’t leave soon.

The 2020 event initially was pushed to October from April, when it is typically run. This year’s race — marking the 25th anniversary of the attack — was virtual to allow for social distancing.

“This is not just another marathon, this is one of Oklahoma City’s signature events that brings our whole community together,” said race director Kari Watkins. “If a few more months allows people to run together, it’s worth the delay.”

Experts still refer to the bombing on April 19, 1995, as the deadliest act of domestic terrorism on U.S. soil. It shocked the consciousness of the United States, where many began to see that terrorism was not just a problem in other countries.