TOKYO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2021 Tokyo Marathon has been postponed from March 7 to October 17, organizers announced here on Friday.

Runners set off as they compete in the Tokyo Marathon in Tokyo on March 1, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

It was announced in a statement that the Tokyo Marathon, one of six World Marathon Majors along with Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York and London, will have elite and mass races together in the original field size.

This year's race, which was originally expected to attract 38,000 runners, saw the cancelation of general public entries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 200 elite runners and wheelchair racers took part in the competition held on March 1.

The statement added that registered runners for the 2020 Tokyo Marathon are able to defer their entry to either next year's race or the 2022 edition.