After almost 30 years, Waiheke Island's Wharf2Wharf race has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns.
Organisers said it's no longer financially viable to run the event because of Auckland Council's strict traffic management requirements.
And there are fears other community events will suffer the same fate.
For 30 years, the 25km signature event has started at the spectacular Orapiu Wharf and has finished at Mātiatia Wharf.
But increasing traffic management requirements have put a stop to the event altogether.
"[It's a] real disappointment, we've been away from the event for two or three years because of COVID," runner Gary Wilton told Newshub.
"This was the year it was coming back."
And organisers are frustrated.
"What the [Auckland] Council are asking for is 10 times what would normally be requested for an event of that size," said Leighton Langley, president of the Waiheke Rotary Club.
Langley told Newshub Auckland Transport (AT) is demanding more certified traffic-management controllers, plus assets like trucks and signage.
Those would need to be brought over from the mainland at additional cost.
"It's over-managed for what the event is. We have very low speed limits on the island and we've had this run by residents who know the island intimately and we've always been successful in doing that," Langley said.
AT told Newshub it "absolutely wants community events to continue" and is working closely with organisers of the Waiheke event to "help the contractor keep event traffic management costs down".
The agency said it has also agreed non-qualified volunteers will be fine for this event - in low-risk areas.
But locals are worried about what it means for the future of events on the island.
"On an island like this, small events are all we've got," Wilton said.
And they're holding out hope the event can be reinstated eventually.
