While many events both sporting and otherwise have been cancelled in recent weeks, the Griffith Feral Joggers are hopeful they will be able to hold one of the major events at the start of August.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
'Half on the Hill', which is entering its tenth year, is set to run on Sunday, August 9 and Griffith Feral Joggers president Ron Anson is hopeful the event will be able to go ahead after they had to cancel one of their other big events, Bacchus on the Lake, due to COVID-19.
"It is subject to a lot of restrictions being eased a little bit," he said.
"For all events, you have to have an event management plan, so we have drafted that and we have sanitation stations, but we are hopeful we can do it.
"There are a lot of eager people. We had a committee meeting the other day, and all bar one just wanted to go ahead."
This is one of the events that is open to runners from outside the Feral Joggers and Anson said there are usually a few other runners who make their way to the hill.
"Last year to the John Piccoli Reserve above Collina Oval and that's a nice venue, and I always think that overlooking Collina Oval is pretty pleasant," he said.
"I think last year there was about 80 and that is around the numbers that participate."
The event is split into two categories, those who will run the full 21 kilometres and there is also a team event.
The Joggers are one of the few sporting groups who have been able to keep going during the pandemic with events running throughout the week rather than over one day and Anson said that has been seeing some real success.
"We have been quite surprised for our virtual, normal weekly runs which go from any time Monday morning to Sunday evening when the sun sets," he said.
"I think our best one we had 104 people turn up, but we have been cruising around the 85-90 people weekly which is sometimes better than what we get when we are running at a normal situation.
"Last week we ran the Solstice Cup that one went over Saturday and Sunday rather than the whole week and that went pretty well, I think 73 people participated in that."
The Feral Joggers president said if the restrictions were still in place come, August there is a chance they will run the 'Half on the Hill' event in a similar fashion.
"We have a July meeting, and we would make that decision then, and that could be that you would have staggered starts," he said.
RELATED
Liam Warren
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
