Runner looks to 2021 as this year’s Boston Marathon is canceled

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    OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — For the first time in its history, there won’t be a Boston Marathon in 2020.

It was originally postponed from April to September, which was good news for Omaha runner Hollyanne Fricke who qualified for her first Boston Marathon this year.

Fricke was set to have hip surgery in March. She felt like she could’ve been ready for a marathon in September.

Unfortunately, the pandemic pushed her surgery back to the beginning of May.

“At that point, I felt pretty certain that I might not be able to compete in Boston if it happened in September,” Fricke said.

She said she feels for the runners who can’t run in Boston this year, but said it’s a relief for her personally.

“It takes some of the pressure off of me,” Fricke said. “I feel like I can really dedicate my time to healing on the schedule that I’m supposed to and don’t have to worry about traveling and all of that.”

She’s excited about 2021, especially because the Boston Athletic Association will allow qualifying times for 2020 to be applied to 2021.

In the meantime, she’s not sure if she’ll participate in this year’s “Virtual Boston Marathon.”

“It’ll be a lot easier to pull off at home rather than flying across the country and not being sure if I’m exactly ready. So, I can always pull the plug if it’s not going well on that day, but I’d definitely like to try.”

Participants who can provide proof of completion in under 6 hours will still receive a medal and a t-shirt.

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