The City2Surf is the biggest fun run in the world. More than 80,000 people cover the 14km from Sydney's CBD to Bondi Beach on the second Sunday of August (9 August in 2026), released in staggered waves seeded on previous times.
One stretch defines it: Heartbreak Hill, a two-kilometre climb from Rose Bay up to Vaucluse along New South Head Road that bites from about the 6km mark. Clear it and the course tips downhill toward the coast and a finish on the grass above Bondi.
The records have stood for decades, and they show how hard this course has been raced: Steve Moneghetti's 40:03 from 1991, and Susie Power's 45:08 from 2001. For most of the field the time matters far less than the costumes, the charity total and the swim at the end.
Because starters are seeded by speed, enter early and give an honest predicted time. The front groups clear Heartbreak Hill before the crowds bank up. Trains run to the William Street start; getting back from Bondi means a walk back over the hill or a bus queue, so sort the return before you go.
