Burnie City Council, Tasmania, faced many challenges in 2020, some navigable, some unsurmountable.
Council conducts two mass-participation style events in October each year: The Heritage Burnie Ten 10km foot race and the Health Care Insurance 321GO kids’ race – six individual races in categories of age and gender.
The Burnie Ten, which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year, could not proceed as normal in 2020. It was decided instead to invite participants to go virtual, choosing their own time and place on the Burnie Ten weekend and register their 10km time online.
While the excitement of thousands of people lining up in the main street of Burnie was missed, over a thousand participants still registered and completed their runs.
Held in Burnie’s West Park oval, the kids’ race was rescheduled into November when it could proceed as usual in a new
COVID-normal format.
Races’ start times were spread out over a longer period to allow participants and their families to exit the venue before the next race started.
With so many events cancelled during the year it was important to Council and the event’s volunteers that all efforts were made to allow to the day to proceed, albeit with some significant changes, and give the local children an opportunity to participate.
