The Stawell Gift was a bicycle short of a triathlon following a deluge of warm rain on Monday, April 1, 2024.
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Unfortunately, the only April Fools were the patrons caught in the downpour that threatened to cancel the iconic 142nd running of the iconic race.
More than 33mm fell on April 1, including 16.2mm from 1.30-4.30pm, leaving everyone except essential staff and competitors to find shelter.
Deep surface water covering the grass track in the middle of Stawell's Central Parkplus a mesmerising display of local lightning strikes and powerful thunderforced organisers to postpone the finals.
Lightning caused a 40-minute halt to the Geelong and Hawthorn AFL match at the MCG.
Fortunately, conditions eased, allowing the men's and women's Stawell Gift finals to run at 4.30pm.
Since its inception in 1878, only World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have prevented the Gift from taking place.
Across Victoria, almost 500 requests for help were made to emergency services, which were kept busy throughout the night.
There were four flood rescues since Monday's midday, SES duty officer Erin Mason told AAP.
"Mainly it's been people driving through floodwater," Ms Mason said.
"So just a reminder to people to never drive through flood water, if the road is flooded I encourage people to stop, turn around and find an alternate path."
Horsham received more than 24mm of rain, while the highest rainfall totals were in central Victoria, including Melbourne, with Olympic Park recording 53mm of rain since 9am on Monday.
- With Australian Associated Press