After I first landed in Australia three years in the past, my so-called operating profession was simply beginning to discover its legs. Like most individuals, I picked it up throughout lockdown. Gyms throughout Europe had been shut, I used to be going tender across the edges, and I wanted an excuse to get transferring (and, let’s be trustworthy, breathe one thing aside from recycled house air).
However operating via the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, whereas charming in idea, was chilly, moist, and a near-constant recreation of dodging cyclists, stoners and sideways rain. So after I lastly hit the streets of Sydney, it felt like a brand new form of runner’s excessive. Hotter, sunnier, and with seaside views.
It’s since turn into an obsession – a non-negotiable. I look ahead to the weekends after I can lace up and hit the pavement early on a Saturday morning. After all, it’s good to clear your head. Nevertheless it’s additionally the group, the rhythm. At instances, it may be about chasing one thing. A brand new PB. A dawn over the harbour. And no race captures that feeling fairly like City2Surf.
A part of the IRONMAN Australia household, City2Surf is the largest enjoyable run within the nation – it’s a ceremony of passage for a lot of Sydneysiders and Expats like myself, whether or not you’re a seasoned run clubber or simply beginning out.
First held in 1971, it was modelled on San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers and shortly took on a lifetime of its personal. What began with simply over 2,000 runners has now grown right into a 14km road get together with greater than 80,000 contributors pounding the pavement from Hyde Park to Bondi Seaside.
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However past the numbers and the sweaty end line with 1000’s of us cramming into Bondi very first thing within the morning, City2Surf is about group. It’s a celebration of Sydney at its most open and unfiltered: from severe athletes to barefoot youngsters, tutu-wearing fundraisers to shirtless blokes in struggle paint. And there’s all the time that one man operating in a fridge costume.
The route itself is iconic. You begin within the metropolis, glide previous Potts Level, scale the notorious Heartbreak Hill at kilometre six, then cruise down into North Bondi with the Pacific in your left and 1000’s cheering from the sidelines. It’s punishing; it’s uplifting; and it actually helps having that first pint at Seaside Street afterwards.
This yr’s race kicks off on 10 August, and if you happen to’ve ever flirted with the concept of a enjoyable run, that is the one to decide to. It’ll be my first time, too.
