The New York City Marathon will take place in 2021 after the event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that the world’s biggest race will return this year, and will be held on 7 November.

While the race will still be large, with the governor revealing 33,000 individuals will be able to participate, it is still notably smaller from years past, which have seen 55,000 runners compete.

The marathon will also be subject to safety guidelines amid the ongoing pandemic, according to the governor, who noted that further changes may take place before the day of the race.

Otherwise, the 26.2-mile race will follow the same route, beginning on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island and making its way through the five New York City boroughs.

“The marathon is back and that is a great, great New York event that excites people from all across the globe, and does a lot of great work for the city and state of New York,” Cuomo said.

How do you sign up for the marathon?

Registration for the event, which will mark the 50th running of the race, will open on 8 June, with runners who registered for the cancelled 2020 race able to sign up.

As for the rest of the spots, The New York Times reports that the New York Road Runners, the organisation that operates the marathon, will not be holding a drawing as usual, but is instead considering opening spots for “charity runners who pledge to raise about $3,000 for a chosen organization when they participate”.

The outlet also noted that the organisers expect “interest in any open spots to be high”.

What precautions will be in place?

In addition to capping the race at 60 per cent of its normal capacity, the race will also begin with a staggered start, according to The Times, which also notes that hydration stations may be more spaced out along the marathon route to encourage social distancing and that organisers are “re-evaluating just about anything that may cause crowding”.

Additionally, participants will need to test negative or show proof of vaccination before competing in the marathon. They will not be required to wear masks, however.

Read More