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Event Information:
City2Surf (or City to Surf) is a
popular road running event held
annually in Sydney, Australia
covering a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi)
course. The event is a "fun run" as
well as a race, attracting both
serious runners and community
participants who can choose to run
or to walk. The largest timed
running race in the world, the event
attracts more than 80,000 entrants
who start in staggered groups based
on previous running times and early
entry. The Sydney City2Surf has been
held as an annual event since the
first run on 5 September 1971. It
was conceived by the staff of The
Sun (now The Sun-Herald) and
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 just over
2,000 competitors, most of whom were
registered athletes belonging to the
many Registered Athletic Clubs that
were part of these two bodies.
In
recent years, over 60,000 people
have entered. 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. It is still primarily
sponsored and organised by The
Sun-Herald. As of 2010, the course
starts in several groups in order to
give preference to faster runners.
There are invitation-only seeded and
preferred runner groups, followed by
runners with previous race times
under 75 minutes, runners with
previous race times under 100
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.
The 14
km route taken by the participants
passes through the suburbs of 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 2km
long 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.
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