By Catherine Naylor
A 24-year-old runner from Adelaide competing in his first City2Surf has won this year’s event, beating about 90,000 other runners to cross the line first at Bondi Beach.
Sydneysiders and visiting runners made a colourful scene as they set off from College Street for the annual mass pilgrimage to Bondi, with elite runners competing alongside entrants dressed in tutus and gorilla costumes.
Not everyone had their sights on the race record.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Winner Isaac Heyne was not far off breaking the event’s 33-year record when he ran the 14 kilometres from the city to Bondi in 40 minutes, 50 seconds.
The result means Steve Moneghetti’s time of 40:03, set in 1991, stands for another year. The closest anyone has come to beating that effort was in 2019, when Harry Summers missed it by just three seconds.
Leanne Pompeani won the women’s event for the second time this morning, crossing the line at 45:38 – 21 seconds faster than her winning effort in 2022.
Heyne said he was glad to have crossed the finish line first, just in front of last year’s winner, Ed Goddard, who came second.
“I thought, ‘OK, he’s going to be the guy to make the moves’, and that’s what he did early, but then once I broke away I thought, ‘nup, don’t look back and just keep on going’.”
Pompeani said the atmosphere created by people along the route, cheering the racers on, was amazing.
“It was so loud. There is no other race in Australia like this. The whole way you have people coming out from their front doors to cheer you on, including right down to the finish line [where] it’s even louder.”
She said living in Canberra gave her an advantage on the infamous Heartbreak Hill out of Rose Bay.
“The key to success is winning the hills. The hills are my strength and it’s a strength game. I’m from Canberra, where there’s lots of hills, so I’m always running over them.”
Runners are still making their way over the finish line for the classic Sydney event, which is in its 54th year, with the last group of entrants heading off just after 9.30am.
A record number of competitors signed up to take part this year, with the youngest entrant only seven weeks old (competing with their parents) and the eldest aged 93.
Other runners include a team of 21 firefighters, taking part in full equipment and breathing apparatus to raise money for the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.
While Heyne may have run the race in just over 40 minutes, those in the gorilla suits and tutus have a little more time up their sleeve – race organisers have given them until 1.50pm to get to Bondi Beach.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.