Mountain race outfit goes bust

The Christchurch company behind a cancelled mountain race has gone bust owing $402,000.

J Fusion Ltd, which traded as Fusion Events, went into liquidation on Wednesday. The company was behind The Wild, which had three routes – 160km, 80km and 32km – through the Otago backcountry, close to Arrowtown.

The race was due to take place on December 10 and 11, with 620 people having signed up. As well as Kiwi trail runners, the event attracted competitors from Asia, Europe and North America. Runners were emailed on Tuesday afternoon and informed the event had been cancelled. It is not yet known whether entry fees will be refunded.

As well as The Wild, Fusion Events operated running, mountainbiking, multi-sport and ultra running events across the South Island.

According to the liquidator’s initial report, the company began trading in 2018 and ‘‘took some time to build a reputation and platform within the events industry’’. The business was ‘‘starting to gain some traction’’ but was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with event cancellations and postponements.