Hundreds of Territorians took to Darwin Waterfront on Australia Day for the NT’s annual Oz Run event
While it may not have looked exactly like a sprint event straight out of the Olympic Games, it certainly had shades of one – but with an Aussie twist.
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While it may not have looked exactly like a long-distance race straight out of the Olympics, it certainly had shades of one – but with an Aussie twist.
On Sunday, hundreds of sprinters and walkers kicked off their Australia Day at the Darwin Waterfront for the Territory’s annual Oz Run event.
The day began at 6.30am with an animated, energetic warm-up, followed by a Welcome to Country and a touching rendition of the national anthem.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, flanked by a number of her colleagues, told participants they had plenty to be proud about.
“Have a wonderful Australia Day, you all have so much to be proud of,” she said.
“We all woke up today proud to be Australian.”
Taking home the gold was Ash Gardner, who, by a country mile, dominated the competition to secure a first place finish.
“Someone’s coming, someone’s coming,” the Chief Minister giggled, as Mr Gardner turned the corner and neared the finish line.
Puffing and panting, Mr Gardner kept his victory speech short and sweet.
“It feels pretty good to win, but I’m even prouder to be Australian,” he said.
Member for Solomon Luke Gosling, who also raced in the event, said there were no losers on Sunday.
“Everyone’s a winner on Australia Day,” he said.
Even Batman made a celebrity appearance at the race.
“I want breakfast,” he shouted before the race began.
Another mysterious masked figure, El Libo Mojado, said he enjoyed the event.
“I try to get down to this event each year, it’s a great variety of people and it’s very fun,” he said.
“I’m the warrior that runs, so this persona is an extension to be able to get away from my 9-5 office job.
“Out here under this mask I can be as free as the wind.”
Juggling three pins at once, Michael Connell said Australia was beautiful in many ways.
“We’re a part of the lucky country; everyone gets a fair go, we have a great society and we all strive to improve ourselves,” he said.
“We don’t have a lot of the troubles that affect a lot of other countries around the world, so I’d say we’re very lucky.”
To see the full photo gallery, click here.
Have a story tip? Readers can contact me at thomas.mclean@news.com.au
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