City2Surf (Sydney)

City2Surf (or City to Surf) is a popular road running event held annually in Sydney covering a 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.

History

The City2Surf has been held as an annual event since the first run on 5 September 1971, initially as a run that commenced in George Street, adjacent to Sydney Town Hall. 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. 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.

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.

When The Sun ceased publication in 1988, the sponsorship of the event passed to the new Sunday tabloid The Sun-Herald. Voltaren, an Australian brand of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, took over sponsorship in 2025.

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. That level of participation has continued.

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. 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). In 2008, Martin Dent became the first Australian winner since Lee Troop in 1997. Marwa was competing in the 2008 Olympics.

Since 2010 the course has started in several groups to give preference to faster runners. The first group to start are elite wheelchair athletes, 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. In 2021, Sydney had been in another lockdown since June, the physical race was cancelled again and another virtual event scheduled for October.

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

Route

File:Gorillarunner.jpg

A runner at the 2025 City2Surf in a Gorilla suit

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 steep ascent from Rose Bay to Vaucluse along New South Head Road.

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

Winners

Year	Male winner	Country	Time	Female winner	Country	Time
2025	Isaac Heyne		40' 33"	Bronte Oates		45' 51"
2024	Isaac Heyne		40' 50"	Leanne Pompeani		45' 38"
2023	Ed Goddard		41' 30"	Niamh Allen		47' 29"
2022	Liam Adams		41' 14"	Leanne Pompeani		45' 49"
2019	Harry Summers		40' 05"	Tara Palm		47' 11"
2018	Ben St Lawrence		41' 42"	Ellie Pashley		46' 21"
2017	Harry Summers		42' 09"	Celia Sullohern		47' 03"
2016	Harry Summers		42' 00"	Cassandra Fien		47' 29"
2015	Brad Milosevic		42' 15"	Cassandra Fien		46' 39"
2014	Craig Mottram		41' 56"	Casey Wood		47' 59"
2013	Ben Moreau		41' 47"	Linda Spencer		48' 28"
2012	Liam Adams		41' 31"	Lara Tamsett		46' 55"
2011	Liam Adams		41' 11"	Jessica Trengove		47' 29"
2010	Ben St Lawrence		41' 05"	Lara Tamsett		46' 54"
2009	Michael Shelley		41' 02"	Melinda Vernon		47' 46"
2008	Martin Dent		41' 12"	Rebecca Lowe		47' 18"
2007	Dickson Marwa		41' 10"	Jessica Ruthe		46' 33"
2006	Dickson Marwa		40' 49"	Anna Thompson		47' 15"
2005	Patrick Nyangelo Lusato		41' 12"	Kerryn McCann		46' 27"
2004	Patrick Nyangelo Lusato		41' 04"	Hayley McGregor		46' 22"
2003	Patrick Nyangelo Lusato		41' 55"	Hayley McGregor		47' 28"
2002	Jussi Utriainen		41' 37"	Susie Power		45' 50"
2001	John Msuri		40' 24"	Susie Power		45' 08"
2000	Laban Chege		40' 25"	Susan Hobson		48' 24"
1999	Laban Chege		40' 27"	Kylie Risk		46' 25"
1998	Daniel Browne		41' 35"	Kerryn McCann		48' 10"
1997	Lee Troop		40' 55"	Elizabeth Miller		47' 30"
1996	John Morapedi		40' 19"	Heather Turland		46' 43"
1995	John Morapedi		41' 05"	Elizabeth Wilson		47' 05"
1994	Paul Arthur		42' 08"	Heather Turland		46' 59"
1993	Andrew Lloyd		40' 29"	Carolyn Schuwalow		47' 41"
1992	Julian Paynter		41' 28"	Krishna Stanton		48' 25"
1991	Steve Moneghetti		40' 03"	Lisa Ondieki		46' 41"
1990	Steve Moneghetti		40' 15"	Nancy Ditz		47' 13"
1989	Steve Moneghetti		40' 34"	Tani Ruckle		49' 02"
1988	Steve Moneghetti		40' 16"	Lisa Martin		45' 47"
1987	Brad Camp		40' 15"	Robyn Root		48' 05"
1986	Andrew Lloyd		41' 37"	Nancy Ditz		47' 41"
1985	Hugh Jones		41' 48"	Nancy Ditz		49' 30"
1984	Andrew Lloyd		41' 54"	Sharon Dalton		50' 08"
1983	Andrew Lloyd		42' 00"	Rhonda Malliner		49' 31"
1982	Steve Austin		41' 42"	Wendy Hancock		48' 48"
1981	Rob de Castella		40' 08"	Allison Roe		47' 36"
1980	Tim O'Shaughnessy		41' 50"	Lawrie Binder		48' 16"
1979	Bill Scott		41' 54"	Lawrie Binder		49' 40"
1978	Chris Wardlaw		42' 42"	Elizabeth Richards-Hassall		51' 52"
1977	Rob de Castella		41' 12"	Georgina Moore		50' 54"
1976	Tim O'Shaughnessy		42' 04"	Elizabeth Richards-Hassall		52' 44"
1975	Dennis Nee		43' 44"	Angela Cook		54' 58"
1974	John Farrington		43' 21"	Angela Cook		56' 02"
1973	John Farrington		43' 11"	Therese Bell-McKillop		56' 44"
1972	John Farrington		45' 15"	Elizabeth Stanford		60' 41"
1971	Ken Moore		44' 28"	Elizabeth Stanford		58' 20"

Notable events

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. 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.

The 2016 event was featured in the first season on Ambulance Australia in 2018. 300 participants required medical attention, a majority of which needing help after they finished the race. Recent studies have tried to predict injury and/or other health issues based on geographic location on the course and meteorological conditions.

See also

• Real Insurance Sydney Harbour 10k

External links

• Official website
• City swell carries African to his hat-trick
• What does it take to be a City2Surf Legend?
• Most results 1971–