Dublin, May 19 (IANS): The Dublin Marathon, which was due to take place on October 25, has been called off due to COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is with great regret that the organisers of the Dublin Marathon have today announced the cancellation of the 2020 KBC Dublin Marathon and Race Series," organisers said in a statement on Tuesday.

Jim Aughney Race Director said: "We know this is extremely disappointing for all runners, especially those who secured marathon entries."

"We made the difficult decision in the best interest of the health and wellbeing of all those involved in making our events such a success from runners, supporters, volunteers, sponsors, to suppliers.

"We explored many alternatives for running the events safely but ultimately none were viable," he added.

Aidan Power Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs of KBC said: "This is the right and responsible decision that the event organisers of the Dublin Marathon have taken and KBC as sponsors remain committed to its support and look forward to welcoming runners again in 2021."

The organisers further said that all entries for the 2020 Dublin Marathon and the Race Series will be valid for the 2021 races.

Ireland from Monday has started off with lifting lockdown measures put in place due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to ban the marathon indicates the fallout of coronavirus pandemic may last longer than suggested by official plans. Ireland has so far registered more than 1500 deaths due to coronavirus.