Bad weather dampens turnout for Brussels marathon

Fifteen-thousand participants were expected to run the Brussels Airport Marathon & Half Marathon. Instead, only 7,500 runners showed up on Sunday.

The weather forecast, which gave rain showers in the morning, appears to have discouraged many runners from participating in the competition.

“There are always people who register but don’t turn up, regardless of the weather. Today there were probably a higher than usual number of them,” said Gert Van Goolen from Golazo, the sports marketing agency that organises the running competition. “The weather forecast of the last few days and today’s weather must have scared off participants at the last minute,” Van Goolen told Bruzz.

According to the organisers, 15,000 people had registered to participate in the Marathon, Half Marathon and Race for the Cure, a 6k race organised by the Think Pink breast cancer awareness-raising charity.

Most runners had prepared for the weather, Van Goolen added. “They made sure they weren’t cold before the start and they quickly looked for extra items of clothing to put on at the finish,” he said.

Written by Linda A. Thompson

Photo: Belga / Jasper Jacobs