FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD) - This year's Cowtown Marathon will go on, but it will look very different this year.
First off, it will be held much later than usual.
"It was supposed to have been this coming weekend," says Executive Director Heidi Swartz; "and so we've moved it off of our February date, and we've changed it to May 8th."
On that date, only a few of the distances will be available.
"On May 8th, we'll offer a 5k, a 10k, a half-marathon, and then our healthy hig half-marathon relay, which is a two-person or a four-person relay," says Swartz. "We have made the kids' 5k virtual, and we've also made our ultra marathon and our marathon distances virtual."
Runners can also opt to do the in-person distances virtually as well.
With the kids' fun run being virtual this year, the Cowtown Marathon will be bringing the experience to the schools.
"We have over 120 schools that participate with us through our C.A.L.F. (Children's Activities for Life & Fitness) program, where we provide them running shoes and socks and training," says Swartz, "and we didn't want that to go away."
Due to COVID-19, registrations will be limited.
"Normally, we have anywhere between 25,000 to 28,000 runners participate; and this year, we have drastically reduced our numbers," says Swartz. "The half-marathon is 3500 runners; and the 10k is 1500, the 5k is 1500, and we're only allowing 500 teams in our relay."
To ensure social distancing, runners will take off about 50 at a time.
"It'll be a rolling start, where normally our start lines only open for about 30 minutes with the different corrals, this year it'll be open for about three hours.," Swartz says.
For more information or to register, click here.