Race organisers shared news of the cancellation yesterday citing "recent heavy and unrelenting rain" as the key factor in the decision.

Photos shared on the event Facebook page over the past week show deep water covering parts of the track.

Event organiser Peter Fitzpatrick said there is water two feet deep on parts of the track with many areas impassable. Vehicles also cannot access key check points.

Fitzpatrick said that the safety of runners, support crews, and volunteers is the highest priority for the organisers. With more rain expected over the coming week the track will not dry out.

"The camp ground at Henry Angel (event hub) along with key areas of the course being inundated with water and the condition of the trails are such that we are unable to proceed safely with the event," he said.

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"We mark the track with reflective tape for night running. We mark every 80 metres with a reflective tape and the runners have got to follow that, and sometimes they go off course and if we can't get to them, I don't know where they'd end up."

This is the third consecutive time the event has been cancelled following bush fires and COVID.

Fitzpatrick said that he is devastated to cancel the event again and feels like he has let down entrants.

"We've tried to give them time so there might be another event they can enter and they cancel their motels and flights," he said.

Runners had entered the race from across the country, New Zealand, and the UK. Despite their wide spread, Fitzpatrick said everyone he's had contact with has been very understanding.

Had the committee not called off the event now, Fitzpatrick believes Forestry would have told them they couldn't run the event next week.

Hume and Hovell Ultra offers four courses following the Hume and Hovell Walking Track ranging from 22 kilometres to 160 kilometres (100 miles) in length and has been rescheduled to return in October, 2023.

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