Mount Gambier Tower Trail Run postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic

Phil Ackland Dsc 0731  TBW Newsgroup
POSTPONED: Tower Trail Run organiser Phil Ackland has made the tough call to postpone the annual event until 2021 due to government guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phil Ackland Dsc 0731 TBW Newsgroup
POSTPONED: Tower Trail Run organiser Phil Ackland has made the tough call to postpone the annual event until 2021 due to government guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WITH the latest changes from the Federal Government regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Tower Trail Run has been postponed June 2021.

Originally set down for June 21, 2020, the event has been pushed back to next year, rather than cancel the run and start with a clean slate in 2021.

Event organiser Phil Ackland said it was a tough decision, but there were several reasons to postpone the popular run.

“At this stage the event and the current entrants are moving across to next year,” he said.

“It has been boxed up, packed away and shifted.

“One of the reasons for moving it that far ahead and not picking a date towards the end of the year is we are unsure about the situation and whether things are going to go ahead.

“There is also a lack of available dates, both locally and that do not conflict with other existing events as well.

“A lot of the trail running events have shuffled into that later part of the year, choking that up with existing events.”

Despite the change there could be a way to complete the SA Five series, with a virtual event a possibility before the end of the year.

The event can be completed as a solo entrant, with times uploaded to the internet.

“Because we are part of a five-event series in South Australia, the plan at this stage is you will have the option of running that on your own, then submitting your time which will be included in the series, albeit it with an asterisk,” Ackland said.

“The plan is to keep that series in the mix.

“It will not replace the actual race, but will just be an add on.

“The time will still factor into the overall results.”

Ackland said a time had not been set at this stage to start the virtual race, but a December cut-off date has been touted to have it finished.

“We have set a date for the end of the year to complete that, but we have not set a start date because that will be dependant on government regulations and safety issues, at whatever point that changes,” Ackland said.

“We will have a look at that as it goes, then set a start date.

“People will be looking to travel as well and we do not want to encourage that if social distancing guidelines are in place.”

Ackland noted the social distancing rules made it difficult to run even the virtual event at the moment.

“In terms of guidelines and directions, if someone was doing it on their own it would be fine, but the nature of where our trails are and the crater set up, the chances of running into someone is probably reasonably high,” he said.

“At this stage, like everyone else, we are discovering these things on the fly and making the best of the situation.

“We will look at other events as they come along.”