When the Boston Athletic Association canceled the 2020 Boston Marathon almost two weeks ago, the move came as no surprise to central Maine runners training for the race.

“At this point, I 100 percent expected it,” Kohar Der Simonian, a Waterville native and physician now living in Falmouth, said. “I don’t know if I want to be in the first group of athletes that takes part in a large event.”

“It’s disappointing for sure,” Ward Boudreau of Gardiner added, “but I’m not surprised, either.”

This is the first time in the 124-year history of the Boston Marathon that the race is canceled. The marathon was scheduled for its Patriots Day start on April 20, but in March, the race was postponed to Sept. 14 as Boston and Massachusetts was in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boston Marathon organizers said they will hold a virtual event. Runners who verify they ran 26.2 miles on their own can get their finisher’s medal.

As other races, including the Beach to Beacon 10K, held each August in Cape Elizabeth, were canceled, racers figured it was a matter of time before Boston Marathon organizers pulled the plug on the 2020 race.

“I definitely saw that coming. With a large event, with people coming from all over the country, all over the world, you can’t have it right now,” Ron Peck of Waterville said of the race cancellation.

This was to be Peck’s sixth consecutive Boston Marathon. With no race on the horizon, Peck said his training lately has centered around maintaining his current fitness level. Even small local races, such as the series of races at Waterville’s Quarry Road Trails, have been virtual events. Peck said the Central Maine Striders Fall Classic 10K scheduled for October 11 is at the moment, still on.

“To have in person races, we’re still waiting to see if it’s possible,” Peck said.

Boudreau, who planned to run Boston for the sixth time with his twin brother, Wade, said the race’s cancellation does not change his running routine. If anything, it strengthened Boudreau’s resolve to run. Since the Boston Marathon was originally postponed from April to September, Boudreau and his brother have maintained a daily running streak that now approaches 12 weeks long.

“I’m going to go out and run regardless. For mental health, it’s just what I do,” Boudreau said. “Most people train for a specific race. For me, it’s helpful to get out there every single day.”

Both Boudreau and Peck said they’re considering running the virtual race in September. Peck would like to plan a course and get friends and family involved. Boudreau said four members of his running group, the Holy Rollers, were registered for the Boston Marathon.

“We might set up a team day. Right now, we’re thinking of a course. We’ll hit a bunch of towns,” Boudreau said.

A virtual race is not the same as the historic Boston Marathon route, with its cheering spectators often giving runners a mental boost.

“I’m a racer first, and some things you can’t duplicate, like the intensity (of Boston),” Boudreau said.

Der Simonian, who also planned to compete in an Iron Man triathlon in August, said she has no interest in doing a virtual Boston Marathon.

“I feel like, not everything is meant to be done virtually,” Der Simonian said.

The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM

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