One of East Devon’s iconic running events, the Grizzly, has fallen victim to the coronavirus.

Organisers of the famous 20-mile race across coastline and countryside said it would not go ahead this year but they hoped they would be able to hold the event as usual in March 2022.

The Axe Valley Runners’ event is the highlight of the club’s calendar. The club has been able to raise thousands of pounds for local, national and international charities by staging the event, with donations since 1988 of more than £425,000. It attracts runners from throughout the UK and across the world, with places usually allocated via a ballot due to its popularity.

Announcing the cancellation on behalf of the Grizzly’s committee, Carol Austin said: “As you will all appreciate the ongoing uncertainties around the Covid-19 pandemic are making it impossible to plan ahead for the autumn and start the necessary arrangements for the event and preparation for entries.

“You will appreciate that this is not the decision we would have wanted but, sadly, it is the only practical one. As ever, our commitment is to ensure the safety of runners, spectators, volunteers and the community around Seaton. With the number of services involved in an event the size of the Grizzly we do not feel it is appropriate to start any organisation at this time during this severe second wave of the pandemic.”

Carol added: “We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed and very much hope we can announce the date for 2022 and the registration process towards the middle of this year. In the meantime, we hope you can enjoy your running within the restrictions for your area and look forward to a Grizzly in 2022.”

This year’s race, which had been planned for the weekend of March 7 and 8, would have been the 33rd running of the Grizzly.

Members of the Grizzly Committee nominated the South West Coast Path Association (SWCPA) as its official charity partner for 2020 and were able to donate £2,100.