Sunday, August 12, 2007

City to Surf



Today was the race I've been excited about for a while.....After missing Peachtree this year, I was looking forward to the Sydney City to Surf. Over 60,000 people run in a race that starts Hyde Park in the City and finishes at Bondi Beach.

I was fortunate enough to get a number in the lead group, but seeding isn't as complex as it is for Peachtree. There are only three groups total, so I was in a group with about 10K other people! Starting temp was warm at about 70 degrees. It was about 1 minute before I hit the start line after the gun and the first 2-3K were extremely crowded. Lots of weaving and I didn't really hit stride till about the 3rd K. I'd been told it was a challenging course. It was fairly difficult. There were some hills early in the race, but the tough part was 6-8. It was a challenging 2K hill up to the top of Double Bay with no breaks. It rolled up and down until about 11K and then you literally fell off the mountain......3K down a very steep hill to the finish. Official time was 55:39 but my watch clocked my race as 54:48 with the start delay. No chips in this one.


Coke put on an excellent post-race party at Hotel Bondi! Tons of food and drink. I still very much miss Peachtree, but it was an exceptional day of fun. The line for the buses was HUGE so I ended up walking back about 11K to my apartment. I think I'll treat myself to a pint after the day! :)








2 comments:

Courtney said...

of course you deserve a pint! I am so excited for you and for doing well at the race...sounds like a bear! I had a great time in Europe and met up with a good friend in London who is from Austrailia. His brother still lives in Austrailia. I was going to give him your blog to look at...is that ok?

Unknown said...

Courti! So enjoyed your trip blog as well! Send my blog anywhere you want! :)