The cancellation of events has left athletes in a holding pattern - but few more so than runner Michael Roeger, who should be weeks away from a Paralympics in Tokyo.
Instead, he's training at home. But now he has something to train for.
The Canberra TimesMarathon Festival will run on November 8, organisers have confirmed. The date is a replacement for what was already a postponed August 23 date.
Race organiser Sole Motive made the decision to secure the later date in November when there is greater confidence the event can be safely held.
For Roeger, a marathon in November comes at an ideal time as he looks to start up his preparation for the Paralympics, which, along with the Olympics, have been postponed by a year.
"It's definitely exciting when you start to see races come back up on the calendar in Australia," the reigning para marathon world champion said.
"You start to get that little bit of fire in the belly and [I'm] looking forward to getting on the start line."
Sole Motive chief executive Lisa Holmes said moving the date again from August to November was a difficult but vital decision.
"We look forward to the return to racing and the opportunity to bring our community back together this November," she said.
Runners who were registered for August 23 are automatically registered for the new date. Participants who opted to defer entry to 2021 can still register for November 8.
Middle and long-distance competitor Roeger has already participated in the festival three times.
"I've done the Canberra half marathon, I've done the 5k before and maybe this year is the time to step up to the marathon," he said.
He said the announcement of race dates gives athletes a goal to work towards, after their life was turned upside down when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
"It was a really tough pill to swallow," he said.
"This would have been my fourth games and I was really prepped for this one.
"Mentally and physically I was ready to go. I'm in a better headspace now, but it was tough at first. The goal posts have been moved by another year - we'll make sure we're ready."
Roeger was also due to run the Boston Marathon this year. The event was originally postponed from April to September, but was recently cancelled altogether.
Roeger said athletes were in a "holding pattern" when it came to maintaining their fitness and mindset.
"It's tough when you're not actually in the sport - you might think it's just a race that got cancelled," he said.
"But us athletes devote our whole lives to this one chance to represent our country every four years."
Roeger urged novice runners to have a go at the Canberra Times Marathon Festival.
"Whether it is the marathon, 5k, 10k, whatever race - get out there, have a go and enjoy yourself," he said.
"If you are passionate about it you'll love it and it won't be tough at all."
- To register for any of the events being held on November 8 as part of The Canberra Times Marathon Festival, visit events.solemotive.com/canberra-times-marathon-festival
