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City2Surf (Sydney)

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City2Surf
Competitors in the 2007 event run through Kings Cross
DateSunday, 11 August 2024
LocationSydney CBD to Bondi Beach
Event typeRoad race and fun run
Distance13.907 kilometres (8.641 mi)
Established5 September 1971; 53 years ago (5 September 1971)
Course records
Official sitecity2surf.com.au
Participantsca. 80,000[1]

City2Surf (or City to Surf) is a popular road running event held annually in Sydney covering a 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) course. The event is a "fun run" as well as a race, attracting both competitive runners and community participants who can choose to run or to walk. The event attracts more than 80,000 entrants who start in staggered groups based on previous running times and early entry.[1]

History

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The City2Surf has been held as an annual event since the first run on 5 September 1971, initially as a 9.4-mile-long (15.1 km) run that commenced in George Street, adjacent to Sydney Town Hall.[2][3] It was conceived by the staff of The Sun newspaper and was inspired by the Bay to Breakers event in San Francisco. The first event was jointly organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of NSW and the NSW Women's Amateur Athletic Association and attracted 1,576 starters, 1,509 of whom completed the event within the 100 minutes time limit.[4] Many of the entrants were registered athletes belonging to the Registered Athletic Clubs that were part of these two bodies. To date, 24 of those entrants, now known as the City2Surf Legends, have run in every City2Surf.[2]

Since 1973 it has been held on the second Sunday in August, except for the race held in 2000, moved to July due to the Sydney Olympics in August.[2]

When The Sun ceased publication in 1988, the sponsorship of the event passed to the new Sunday tabloid The Sun-Herald.

In 2010, on the event's 40th anniversary, a record 80,000 participants ran, making it the largest run of its kind in the world.[2][3] That level of participation has continued.[5][1]

The course record is 40:03, set by Steve Moneghetti in 1991. The women's record is 45:08 minutes, set by Susie Power in 2001.[6] Non-Australian athletes typically won the race from 1995 to 2007, including repeat winners Laban Chege (1999–2000), Patrick Nyangelo Lusato (2003–2005), and Dickson Marwa (2006–2007).[2] In 2008, Martin Dent became the first Australian winner since Lee Troop in 1997.[7] Marwa was competing in the 2008 Olympics.[8]

Since 2010 the course has started in several groups to give preference to faster runners. The first group to start are elite wheelchair athletes,[5] followed by invitation-only seeded and preferred runner groups, followed by runners with previous race times under 70 minutes, runners with previous race times under 90 minutes, an open entry running group, an open entry jogging group, and finally an open entry "Back of the Pack" group for walking, using a wheelchair or pushing child strollers. Entry to all groups is limited to a certain number of competitors and, except for the invitation-only groups, allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 event, the 50th anniversary, was pushed back from 9 August until 18 October and the live event cancelled for the first time in its history. Instead, the event was run as a virtual event where participants were requested to run the length of the course on local streets using the City2Surf Virtual Run app.[9] In 2021, Sydney had been in another lockdown since June, the physical race was cancelled again and another virtual event scheduled for October.[10]

14 August 2022 saw the return of the live running of the event for the first time since 2019.

Route

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The route taken by the participants commences in the city centre of Sydney and passes through the suburbs of East Sydney, Kings Cross, Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Dover Heights and Bondi Beach. The most difficult part of the course is "Heartbreak Hill" at the halfway mark, a 2-kilometre-long (1.2 mi) steep ascent from Rose Bay to Vaucluse along New South Head Road.[citation needed]

Features en route include many amateur bands performing along the suburban roads, and many City2Surf participants dressed in novelty themed costumes.

Winners

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Year Male winner[6] Country Time Female winner[6] Country Time
2024 Isaac Heyne  Australia 40' 50" Leanne Pompeani  Australia 45' 38"
2023 Ed Goddard  Australia 41' 30" Niamh Allen  Australia 47' 29"
2022 Liam Adams  Australia 41' 14" Leanne Pompeani  Australia 45' 49"
2019 Harry Summers  Australia 40' 05" Tara Palm  Australia 47' 11"
2018 Ben St Lawrence  Australia 41' 42" Ellie Pashley  Australia 46' 21"
2017 Harry Summers  Australia 42' 09" Celia Sullohern  Australia 47' 03"
2016 Harry Summers  Australia 42' 00" Cassandra Fien  Australia 47' 29"
2015 Brad Milosevic  Australia 42' 15" Cassandra Fien  Australia 46' 39"
2014 Craig Mottram  Australia 41' 56" Casey Wood  Australia 47' 59"
2013 Ben Moreau  England 41' 47" Linda Spencer  Australia 48' 28"
2012 Liam Adams  Australia 41' 31" Lara Tamsett  Australia 46' 55"
2011 Liam Adams  Australia 41' 11" Jessica Trengove  Australia 47' 29"
2010 Ben St Lawrence  Australia 41' 05" Lara Tamsett  Australia 46' 54"
2009 Michael Shelley  Australia 41' 02" Melinda Vernon  Australia 47' 46"
2008 Martin Dent  Australia 41' 12" Rebecca Lowe  Australia 47' 18"
2007 Dickson Marwa  Tanzania 41' 10" Jessica Ruthe  New Zealand 46' 33"
2006 Dickson Marwa  Tanzania 40' 49" Anna Thompson  Australia 47' 15"
2005 Patrick Nyangelo Lusato  Tanzania 41' 12" Kerryn McCann  Australia 46' 27"
2004 Patrick Nyangelo Lusato  Tanzania 41' 04" Hayley McGregor  Australia 46' 22"
2003 Patrick Nyangelo Lusato  Tanzania 41' 55" Hayley McGregor  Australia 47' 28"
2002 Jussi Utriainen  Finland 41' 37" Susie Power  Australia 45' 50"
2001 John Msuri  Tanzania 40' 24" Susie Power  Australia 45' 08"
2000 Laban Chege  Kenya 40' 25" Susan Hobson  Australia 48' 24"
1999 Laban Chege  Kenya 40' 27" Kylie Risk  Australia 46' 25"
1998 Daniel Browne  United States 41' 35" Kerryn McCann  Australia 48' 10"
1997 Lee Troop  Australia 40' 55" Elizabeth Miller  Australia 47' 30"
1996 John Morapedi  South Africa 40' 19" Heather Turland  Australia 46' 43"
1995 John Morapedi  South Africa 41' 05" Elizabeth Wilson  United States 47' 05"
1994 Paul Arthur  Australia 42' 08" Heather Turland  Australia 46' 59"
1993 Andrew Lloyd  Australia 40' 29" Carolyn Schuwalow  Australia 47' 41"
1992 Julian Paynter  Australia 41' 28" Krishna Stanton  Australia 48' 25"
1991 Steve Moneghetti  Australia 40' 03" Lisa Ondieki  Australia 46' 41"
1990 Steve Moneghetti  Australia 40' 15" Nancy Ditz  United States 47' 13"
1989 Steve Moneghetti  Australia 40' 34" Tani Ruckle  Australia 49' 02"
1988 Steve Moneghetti  Australia 40' 16" Lisa Martin  Australia 45' 47"
1987 Brad Camp  Australia 40' 15" Robyn Root  United States 48' 05"
1986 Andrew Lloyd  Australia 41' 37" Nancy Ditz  United States 47' 41"
1985 Hugh Jones  England 41' 48" Nancy Ditz  United States 49' 30"
1984 Andrew Lloyd  Australia 41' 54" Sharon Dalton  Australia 50' 08"
1983 Andrew Lloyd  Australia 42' 00" Rhonda Malliner  Australia 49' 31"
1982 Steve Austin  Australia 41' 42" Wendy Hancock  New Zealand 48' 48"
1981 Rob de Castella  Australia 40' 08" Alison Roe  New Zealand 47' 36"
1980 Tim O'Shaughnessy  Australia 41' 50" Lawrie Binder  United States 48' 16"
1979 Bill Scott  Australia 41' 54" Lawrie Binder  United States 49' 40"
1978 Chris Wardlaw  Australia 42' 42" Elizabeth Richards-Hassall  Australia 51' 52"
1977 Rob de Castella  Australia 41' 12" Georgina Moore  Australia 50' 54"
1976 Tim O'Shaughnessy  Australia 42' 04" Elizabeth Richards-Hassall  Australia 52' 44"
1975 Dennis Nee  Australia 43' 44" Angela Cook  Australia 54' 58"
1974 John Farrington  Australia 43' 21" Angela Cook  Australia 56' 02"
1973 John Farrington  Australia 43' 11" Therese Bell-McKillop  Australia 56' 44"
1972 John Farrington  Australia 45' 15" Elizabeth Stanford  Australia 60' 41"
1971 Ken Moore  United States 44' 28" Elizabeth Stanford  Australia 58' 20"

Notable events

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Deaths during the race have occurred several times. In years 2000, 2008 and 2014, a competitor died of a heart attack close to the finish line of the race.[11][12][13] After the 2008 death, medical academic Michael O'Rourke noted that a runner developing arrhythmia and cardiac arrest happens most years but that the sufferer is usually revived.[14]

The 2016 event was featured in the first season on Ambulance Australia 2018. 300 participants required medical attention, a majority of which needing help after they finished the race.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Visentin, Lisa (13 August 2017). "City2Surf 2017 won by Harry Summers and Celia Sullohern". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "History". Sun-Herald City2Surf. Retrieved 12 January 2017. [self-published source?]
  3. ^ a b "City2Surf Timeline". Sun-Herald City2Surf. Retrieved 12 January 2017. [self-published source?]
  4. ^ Edwards, Chris (2014). Begin With the End in Mind: The Untold Story of The City2Surf. Body of Work. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-9875157-3-5.
  5. ^ a b "City to Surf: Thousands compete in Sydney race to Bondi Beach". ABC News. Australia. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Honour Roll". Sun-Herald City2Surf. Retrieved 12 January 2017. [self-published source?]
  7. ^ "Martin Dent wins City2Surf". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  8. ^ Welch, Dylan (11 August 2008). "New and old heroes gather to walk, run, fly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  9. ^ Wondracz, Aidan (9 April 2020). "City to Surf is CANCELLED for the first time in its 50 year history". www.msn.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. ^ Rabe, Tom; Smith, Alexandra; Massola, James (14 August 2021). "The severe measures considered within government ahead of sweeping COVID response". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Death Mars City To Surf Run". 16 July 2000. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  12. ^ "Man dies during City2Surf". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  13. ^ "City2Surf runner dies after collapsing near finish line". news.com.au. 10 August 2014.
  14. ^ Ramachandran, Arjun (11 August 2008). "City2Surf tragedy: young runner unregistered". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  15. ^ "Ambulence Australia". www.tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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