Australian charities are struggling with the loss of fun runs.

In a typical year there are around 21,000 mass participation sporting events across Australia, attracting 3.4 million participants. From fun runs to marathons, road cycling to bush trekking, walking with pets to obstacle courses, Australians take part in these events at an extraordinary scale.

It isn’t just about the exercise. Many of these events are wholly or partly dedicated towards fundraising, with participants raising around A$75 million each year for charity.

In 2020, around 19,000 planned events did not take place. The sector has not fared much better this year, with the Australian Mass Participation Sporting Events Alliance estimating more than 70% of events will not return for 2021.

Read more on The Conversation, as they write more about how the absence of these events have hit charities during already tough times.