Wimmera runners have received another blow, with the cancellation of Victoria's Parkruns indefinitely due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
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Parkrun is classified as "physical recreation" in Victoria, therefore all runners are required to show their double vaccination status before participating in the event.
Parkrun Australia issued a statement outlining it would not be practical for the volunteers who run the events to have to perform the checks.
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"As we are sure you will appreciate, the logistics of requiring our volunteers to confirm vaccination status of all attendees pre-event would fundamentally break our simple operating model," their statement read.
Parkruns in NSW and the ACT have also been paused.
"As is the case in NSW, we will seek to reopen Parkrun events in Victoria as soon as vaccination status is not a contributing factor," the statement continued.
Wimmera River Parkrun director Andrew Sostheim was disappointed the event had to be put on ice once again.
"I think we're equally as frustrated as everyone else," he said.
"Some things are opening up but we seem to be one of the ones that are waiting for DHHS to tick off."
Sostheim also noted his frustration at the changing classification of Parkrun under government regulations.
"In the last 12 months our event has been reclassified three times by DHHS," he said.
"So at one stage we were a public event so we were able to operate and then they changed us to community sport.
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"In the last one, they changed it so that we were physical recreation so it was different again."
Sostheim has seen firsthand how integral Parkrun is to the community.
"With the social isolation that we've had through the lockdowns, we can see how important exercise and getting out means to people and the physical and mental health benefits of it," he said.
"A lot of our participants aren't affiliated with another sporting group, so this is their community outlet.
"Having that taken away is a bit sad but hopefully fingers crossed that we're getting closer to a restart."
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