Profile
The City2Surf is one of the world’s largest running events and takes place in Sydney each August.
The City to Surf course is 14km in length, commencing in the Sydney CBD and running through the eastern suburbs, finishing at Bondi Beach.
The City to Surf caters for a range of participants, from elite athletes, committed runners, walkers and participants who dress in costume. The event starts in various waves to accommodate these different cohorts of participants.
The 2024 City2Surf will take place on 11 August 2024.
Cover image by Mr Fooji used under Creative Commons license
Event History
The event was founded in 1971 as a 15km race modelled on the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race. The event was conceived by The Sun newspaper and organised by Amateur Athletic Association of NSW and the NSW Women’s Amateur Athletic Association (now merged, and operating as Athletics NSW). There were 1,576 entrants in the initial event.
The distance and course changed to its current 14km length in 1973 and has been held annually, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event has always been held in August, usually on the second Sunday of the month, except in 2000 when it took place in July, due to the Sydney Olympic Games being held in August.
The largest finishing field for the event was 68,930 people in the 2011 event.
Course Description
The event commences at Hyde Park at the corner of Park and College Streets in the Sydney CBD and passes through Kings Cross, followed by the scenic suburbs of Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Dover Heights and Bondi Beach.
Aside from its stunning scenery, the course is known for Heartbreak Hill, a two kilometre climb along New South Head Road from Rose Bay to Vaucluse. Heartbreak Hill is halfway through the 14km course, with the final kilometres of the event being a fast and gradual downhill towards Bondi Beach.
- Distance 14.0 km
- Time 0 s
- Speed 0.0 km/h
- Min altitude 5 m
- Peak 85 m
- Climb 234 m
- Descent 250 m
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- Distance Instructions
Participant Profile
Race records: 40:03 (men, Steve Moneghetti, 1991) and 45:08 (women, Susie Power, 2001)
Middle of the pack: Approximately 1:35:00 (6:48/km)
Back of the pack: Most finishers complete the course under 6 hours.
Almost complete historical results are available for most years.
6 Reviews on “City2Surf”
Was such a good event, very well ran and managed. This was my first city 2 surf, and ill be back next year for sure. The vibe was incredible, and 14km went very quickly. I got a PB of 1:21, which is 9 minutes faster than the 14km run I did in July which was flat, and I even stopped for a photo opportunity on heartbreak hill.
I’m 45, first ever C2S with a time of 1:14.22.
I wasn’t pushing it as I wanted to get a feel of the course.
My 16 year old son completed in 58 minutes and his first C2S and first time running that distance.
Yes, there are a lot of people but you had to acknowledge and embrace that fact and push through any anxiety about it
Bring on next year
Wow I came over from Tas to complete this famous fun run. It blew me away on how well organized it is. Congrats to the organizers on a fantastic event and even got my brother and niece to do it.
I’m on a weight loss mission.
I’ve lost 102 kgs and have done the City2Surf 5 times.
I absolutely love this event and it brings back memories of my weight loss journey so far.
What a great run. So we’ll organised. We had a lot of fun and very happy with our times. Heartbreak Hill wasn’t too bad either.
A great run that is tiring as well as exciting. Great scenery and most of all, it’s fun and no pressure go at your own pace
This is an excellent run, offering a reasonable challenge with regular undulations and a significant hill in the middle. The weather is usually spectacular, and there’s great entertainment along the route. The event is incredibly well-organized, with the entry fee including free public transport for easy access back to the city. Runners should aim for the red, green, or blue groups for a clear run, while walk/runners are advised to start further back.