(Radio Iowa) – The 111th Drake Relays has officially been postponed to April 2021. Drake Relays officials announced Thursday that the 2020 relays were canceled due to Iowa’s ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson director of the Drake Relays, said in a news release that the event will be “postponed” to 2021 to “to preserve the safety and wellbeing of competitors, officials and fans.” The Drake Relays’ Grand Blue Mile and Drake Road Races will be contested virtually in September and October.

Drake Relays leadership first announced a delay in the events in March due to the pandemic. “Our entire staff has worked diligently to explore every possibility of hosting our events in 2020,” Boldon said. “The process has been challenging and the outcome is not what we desired. However, we have been reassured by the incredible show of support we’ve received from fans, coaches and athletes from Iowa, the nation and around the world.”

Drake Relays will return to Des Moines April 21-24, 2021. Organizers said ticket holders will receive an email from the Drake athletic ticket office detailing their ticketing options. Ticket holders may choose, by Aug. 17, to donate the value of their tickets as a tax-deductible donation, forward their tickets to the 2021 Drake Relays or request a refund.