COVID-19 uncertainty has claimed one of Warrnambool's showcase summer events for the second-straight year.
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Organisers have been forced to put a line through the 2022 Surf 'T' Surf due to a lack of clarity on outdoor gathering limits and community sport as Victoria pushes to double vaccinate at least 80 per cent of its population against the virus.
Surf 'T' Surf committee member Shane Murphy said the decision was tough and disappointing after the 2021 edition also fell victim to virus restrictions.
The summer staple, held annually on the Warrnambool foreshore, features a 10-kilometre run, a six-kilometre run, a six-kilometre walk and a three-kilometre Lap of the Lake event.
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He thanked the event's sponsors for their support and hoped the showcase, which draws hundreds of competitors from both the south-west and tourist populations, would be unaffected in 2023.
"It's the uncertainty. We've probably known for a couple of months that it's not going to go ahead with what's been happening," Murphy said.
"We've just held and hoped, I think that's the best way to put it.
"When you've got 800 competitors, I don't think we'll be able to have that many."
Murphy said interest had remained strong. He said a participant had inquired about the event from Canberra this past week.
He said the event's volunteers and sponsors were the backbone of the occasion.
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