But COVID-19 might not stop the sport going ahead altogether.
School Sport Victoria has received close to 4000 entries for the SSV Virtual Cross Country, with close to 200 schools from across Victoria participating.
The program encourages students to run or walk a distance between one and five kilometres at a time and place that suits them such as at a park, recreation reserve, oval, athletics track, green space, trail, local footpaths or even a treadmill.
A Department of Education and Training spokesperson said they hoped to see students continuing to engage in their fitness during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“We want students to remain active during this time and schools have been provided advice to ensure this can happen safely,” the spokesperson said.
“All inter-school sporting events and competitions have been postponed until further notice.
“However, schools are getting their students involved in virtual sporting activities and non-contact sports.”
The spokesperson said while the virtual cross country was a departure from the norm, they expected it to provide a great outlet for young people.
“For the first time, School Sport Victoria is running its Virtual Cross Country instead of interschool cross country events throughout this term to encourage students to be active by going for a walk or run,” the spokesperson said.
“We are pleased with the overwhelming response from schools, with students covering an enormous 10,000km since it launched this week.”
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