Utrecht cancels its marathon in 2013

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Utrecht will not stage a marathon in 2013 because of a lack of city council funding, the organisers said on Tuesday.

The council's decision to pull out has created a gap in the finances which cannot be filled, the organisers said.

'We do not want to make any concessions in terms of the quality of the runners or the safety of the course,' organiser Gerard Peek is quoted as saying by news agency ANP.

Controversy

The Utrecht marathon, which attracts some 12,000 runners, ran in to controversy in 2011 when it tried to discourage Kenyan athletes from taking part.

Kenyan and other foreign nationals were offered prize money of just €100 but Dutch nationals who were 'invited to take part' stood to win the more traditional €10,000.

The decision was widely condemned in the Netherlands and abroad but the organisers said they wanted to encourage Dutch athletes to take part.

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