All over Bondi, every cafe, bar and snack stand was packed to the gills, and they spilled out onto the streets like the Rio Carnival.
Line honors were claimed by “Australia’s fastest electrician” Liam Adams in the men’s and Leanne Pompeani in the women’s. Adams clinched his third City2Surf title in 41 minutes and eight seconds, coming off the back of his fourth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games marathon in Birmingham.
Leigh Adams clinched his third City2Surf men’s title in 41 minutes and eight seconds.Credit:edwina pickles
“I thought the legs pulled up fairly well, I’ve been struggling a fair bit with jetlag over the last few days,” Adams said.
Pompeani crossed the finish line in 45 minutes and 43 seconds on her competitive debut, buoyed by the race’s carnival atmosphere along New South Head Road.
“You get some races where you get a lot of quiet time where you’re just in your own head, but here there was just music and crowds the whole way, people cheering for you,” she said. “So good.”
Leanne Pompeani crossed the finish line in 45 minutes and 43 seconds on her competitive debut, buoyed by the race’s carnival atmosphere.Credit:edwina pickles
There may have been a three-year hiatus, but for the City2Surf entertainers, old habits die hard. So it was hello again to the synchronized dancers, the Hare Krishnas and the police band (a shout-out for Cake By The Ocean), the frontyard lemonade stalls, sidewalk DJs and the kid playing electric guitar from his Dover Heights balcony (everyone agreed: he was awesome).
Some Sydneysiders, like Navid Hasa, took the opportunity to enter the race for the first time. “I ran it without stopping, I was proud of myself,” he said while cooling off with his friend Richard Li. “I kind of over-prepared for the hills.”
Paddington was alive with runners and revellers heading to the SCG in the afternoon, with smart punters making their way through the gates early to nab a premium seat in the sold-out stadium.
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At 3.20pm start under the slowly setting sun, and the Swans destined for the finals: this time there can be no doubt – Sydney is back, baby.
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