The pair are both apologies for the south-west fun run after Moloney tied the knot to long-time partner Trent McCormick on New Year’s eve and Moneghetti will be attending a wedding this weekend.

The event, which attracted close to 900 participants in 2018 and over 1000 in 2017, will run this Sunday from Lake Pertobe with registrations closing online on Wednesday night.

Murphy said the online entries were slightly down on previous years but he expects people to sign up at the Surf ‘T’ Surf’s late registration days at Lake Pertobe on Friday (5pm to 9pm) and Saturday (9am to 3pm).

“Normally we do get a few late ones join up at the two days we have,” he said. 

“People who have done it in the past come back and people who see us for the first time usually think about joining up.”

The main draw card is the 10-kilometre run, which takes in sights such as Lake Pertobe, the War Memorial, Warrnambool Cemetry, Hopkins River, Proudfoots and the Fletcher Jones building on a challenging course.

But the three-kilometre Lap of the Lake and six-kilometre run and walk events are also popular choices for many entrants who prefer to target a shorter distance but still want a challenge. 

Murphy said the Surf ‘T’ Surf was a test most participants for the annual event enjoyed completing at least once.

“A lot of people like doing it and it becomes a bit of a bucket list item for them to complete,” he said. 

“It’s not an easy event but a lot of the people on holidays seem to enjoy giving it a go.

“The weather is also looking good for the weekend so hopefully that plays a part in more people giving it a go.”

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting weather to be partly cloudy with a top of 20 for Sunday’s event. 

The 10-kilometre run will kick start the day at 8am on Sunday morning with the six-kilometre run (8.15am) and walk (8.20am) following closely behind. 

The quick burst three-kilometre Lap of the Lake will set off at 8.25am.