Rat Race Dirty Weekend at Burghley Park is postponed until May 2022 which will be the last event

An endurance event which was due to take place in Burghley Park has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisers of the Rat Race Dirty Weekend have also announced that the 2022 event will be the last one to take place in Stamford.

The event sees competitors take on a 20-mile course with more than 200 obstacles.

In a statement to entrants, organiser Jim Mee said: "When we first started rescheduling events in March 2020, we had no idea we would still be doing it a year later and moving Dirty Weekend for a second time. It is utterly disheartening and I know this will be a blow to all of you too.

"I think we have all been looking forward to and hanging onto the idea of that big celebratory blow out on the fields of Burghley House this May to release ourselves from the funk of the whole Covid epoch.

"Unfortunately we have just run out of time to see the event practically being able to take place in 12 weeks’ time. So, it with the heaviest of hearts that we must reschedule Dirty Weekend again."

He explained that building the course takes six weeks and that the permanent obstacles which have been in place at Burghley would also need essential maintenance.

The rescheduled event will take place on May 7, 2022.

Mr Mee also announced that will be the final Dirty Weekend at Burghley Park.

The decision is based on the financial impact of the pandemic and also a decrease in demand for obstacle events.

He said: "Our focus as a business has been shifting for some time, in line with a move away from the decreasing market of obstacle-running to other avenues of adventure that for us are huge growth areas.

"We are returning to our roots in the great outdoors and moving away from obstacles. Covid is a catalyst in all of that, but this evolution was always our direction of travel and as a firm."

Anyone who was registered to enter this year's event will be contacted by event organisers.