Safety first as Mountain to Surf shifts focus to virtual run

AFTER the sudden cancellation of Lorne’s popular Mountain to Surf run due to extreme weather conditions, organisers are now turning their focus to what comes next for thousands of registered runners.

An estimated 2,500 participants were preparing to hit the scenic 8km track on Friday last week, but forecasted dry lightning and a high fire risk caused the event to be cancelled the day before.

Race director Peter Williamson said that while cancelling the run was unfortunate, safety was always the main priority.

“It was difficult knowing how much all the competitors, supporters, community and other stakeholders were looking forward to it, however in the end it was a very simple process and decision.

“Safety for everyone was key and we are glad the community was not put at risk.”

All runners are now able to complete a virtual run, with a two-week window to complete their own 8km run wherever they choose.

“Our partner timing company has sent out emails to everyone with a personalised link to upload their times,” Williamson said.

“At the end of January we will upload all the submitted times to our results website and give a completion credit towards their 10- and 20-year Mountain Goat awards.

“We will also mail out the event T-shirts at the end of January or early February to those who did not pick one up at Lorne [last week].”

If participants cannot find their personalised link, Williamson advised them to email [email protected] to request the link to be resent.

Williamson thanked all involved for their understanding and patience and looks forward to the event returning in 2027.

“We are so amazed at how passionate our runners are about the run, so we just want to say thank you and keep up your fitness and health by staying active and we look forward to everyone returning next year.”