The 44th HAP Crim Festival of Races has been postponed until 2021, but a virtual Crim is being held in it's place.

The announcement came this morning from Crim officials that the 2020 race would be rescheduled until next year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The race normally draws thousands of runners to downtown Flint, and is a staple of summers in Flint. The race will be replaced with a virtual race according to race officials.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Mark Yonan is the Chair of the Crim Fitness Foundation Board of Directors, and he talked about the difficult decision to postpone the race. The press release stated:

This is the most difficult decision our board has had to make in the Crim's history, the safety and well-being of all of our racers and community is our top priority. At this point, we can not ignore the data at hand. We will not be able to avoid putting people at risk if we hold our traditional Crim Festival

Racers will still have an opportunity to participate in the Crim this year though, through a virtual race. More information about the virtual race will be available soon on the Crim website, but here is what we know now.

The virtual Crim will take place for the 10 days before and after the race. Participants who register will get a race bib, shirt, and Crim medal. The 10 Days of Crim will give runners the chance to complete the race on their own this year.

If you already registered for the Crim this year, you can participate in the virtual race, or defer your registration until the 2021 date.

It seems surreal to see all of these staple events being cancelled, even though we all knew it was probably going to happen. Safety is the motivation behind the decision, and we respect that. It just feels like an extremely weird summer in Flint.

The 2021 Crim Festival of Races is scheduled for August 28th, 2021.

 

List of Michigan Festivals & Events Canceled or Postponed

More From Cars 108