Margaret River Ultra Marathon given green light despite lockdown restrictions

The highly anticipated Margaret River Ultra Marathon has been given the green light following the lockdown in Perth and Peel. Kicking off on Saturday, organisers Rapid Ascent have put in place a number of regulations to ensure the event does not contribute to any community spread, including a self-imposed entry limit. Rapid Ascent general manager Sam Maffett said while all organisers, volunteers and runners had held their breath for the go-ahead, they were confident the protocols would ensure the safety of all involved. “It had been a challenging few days for us all to navigate but we are excited to be able to proceed and hope that our 1500 competitors are looking forward to some quality time on the spectacular trails that make up the 80km course,” he said. “Having gone through similar protocols and procedures in 2020 and earlier this year in February, we can confidently and safely confirm the event will go ahead on Saturday with only minor changes to the event roll-out. “After witnessing a huge increase in numbers in 2020 and to reach capacity six weeks out from the 2021 event, we believe it is fast becoming one of the most popular ultras on the Australian running calendar and can’t wait for race day.” Face mask requirements will apply to those who have been in the Perth and Peel regions since April 17 and a COVID event safety plan was circulated to all event attendees before the marathon. The spectacular 80km course will offer magnificent trail running for competitors as they make their way from Hamelin Bay to Wilyabrup on the breathtaking Cape to Cape coastline. The sold-out field of 1500 runners will see 250 competitors tackling the course as solo entrants. The remainder of the field will be competing in teams of two to five members covering 10-20km each. A 2km Kids Run will be held on Sunday morning before the presentations.