The Taieri Mouth Multisport and Duathlon was set for Sunday, November 13.
The annual event is one of several warm-up races for southern-based multisport athletes building towards premier events such as the Coast to Coast and Southern Traverse.
But low entry numbers for the Taieri Mouth races this year left organiser Scott Weatherall with no option but to cancel and focus on reinvigorating the event for next year.
"We are absolutely gutted. We just haven’t got enough entries to make the 2022 event a goer," he said.
"We have set costs that we must cover as we are a community event and at the moment we don’t have enough entries to cover our costs."
Weatherall said the cost of entry remained low for such an event, despite increasing from $50 to $60 this year.
He said a great deal had to be set aside to cover costs involved with the health and safety aspects such as first aid, traffic management and the like. Added to this was basic competitor comforts such as portaloos and aid stations.
Weatherall said entries had to exceed 50 to make it financially viable and create a contribution back to two participating event partners, the Brighton Surf Life Saving Club and the Dunedin Triathlon and Multisport Club.
"Entries are just too low. We’re not sure why, but we’re super keen to hear of thoughts and explanations.
"We’re super keen to receive any input into how to get better and grow the event."
Weatherall said those who had already entered and paid an entry fee would either be transferred to the event next year, pencilled in for November 12, or be reimbursed.
"I welcome any feedback on getting this spectacular, scenic event back up and running," he said.
"In the meantime, I wish all multisporters a great journey over the summer and if you can help in anyway, reach out."
By Wayne Parsons
