The annual City2Surf charity fun run has returned to the streets of Sydney after COVID-19 restrictions saw the main event scuttled for two years.
Huge crowds of brightly dressed runners completed the 14-kilometre race from Hyde Park to Bondi in the winter sunshine on Sunday morning as it returned for its 50th year.
About 60,000 people took part, organisers said.
Liam Adams won the race for the third time, crossing the finish line in 41 minutes and 12 seconds.
The 35-year-old has been dubbed the “fastest electrician in Australia” and recently competed in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, coming in fourth.
His first placing in Sunday’s race comes 10 years after his last win in the event.
Leanne Pompeani was the first woman to cross the finish line at Bondi, finishing the race in 45 minutes and 43 seconds.
The 26-year-old from Canberra has run the City2Surf before, but 2022 was her first year racing competitively.
In 2021, COVID-19 lockdowns meant entrants could only compete virtually in what was due to be the race’s half-century.
This year, the fun run was back with a bang, with 17 bands playing along the course to entertain runners.
Twenty people maintained their bragging rights of taking part in every City2Surf since 1971, as they took part in their 50th event.
The race encourages participants to raise money for charity and since 2008 has collected about $51 million for 305 organisations.
Sydney prosthetist Lewis Toffolo, 29, ran two to three times a week in preparation for the event and battled a bout of intense chafing to finish in about one hour and 18 minutes.
“Heartbreak Hill was tough but I told myself not to walk it. A few small hills at the end I hit stitch city and had to push through that,” he told AAP.
All major roads running between Sydney’s city centre and eastern suburbs were closed early on Sunday in preparation for the race.
Roads began to reopen from 11.30am, with most closures expected to be lifted by 4pm.
People travelling through Sydney’s eastern suburbs were warned of significant delays and heavy traffic, with Transport for NSW’s Craig Moran urging people to take public transport or alternative routes.
“Motorists are urged to avoid Bondi Road because hundreds of buses will carry tens of thousands of participants between Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction throughout the day,” he said.
By Phoebe Loomes and Callum Godde in Sydney
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