Magnificent Sydney puts on a show for the world

3 months ago 20

How good is Sydney?

This is a question many around the world will be asking following the hugely successful Sydney marathon, held on Sunday on the glorious final day of winter.

This year, for the first time, the marathon became part of the world major series of distance runs, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Organisers have been working behind the scenes for years to elevate Sydney to this list of elite races – the Sydney marathon started in 2000 when the city held the Olympics. The benefits to the city and the country of becoming the magnificent seventh event of this series are obvious to see.

Crowds stream across the bridge for the Sydney marathon.

Firstly, the race now attracts the very top echelons of distance running, with records set by both men and women in the newly designed course, which is one of the hilliest of the majors.

Dutch sensation Sifan Hassan set a race record for women, finishing in two hours, 18 minutes and 22 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros produced the fastest marathon time ever run in Australia to win the men’s event in 2:06:06.

But as well as these professionals, a large group of dedicated international marathon junkies will now visit our city each year. They come for the race, but will stay in hotels, eat in our best restaurants and, no doubt, also visit other parts of Australia. Every one of those runners and their supporters will tell their families and friends what a great city we live in.

With the winter sun sparkling off the Opera House sails, a light breeze and the temperature reaching a pleasant 19 degrees, 35,000 runners set off from Milsons Point at 6.30, crossing the Harbour Bridge, running down to Pyrmont and out through the city to Centennial Park, along Anzac Parade towards Randwick, and finally doubling back into Hyde Park and a fast downhill finish along Macquarie Street to the Opera House.

As well as showcasing the harbour, our best buildings and monuments and parklands, the course has the advantage of looping back on itself at various points, which means middle-of-the pack runners slogging it out just to get to the finish line get to witness the very cream of the crop as the elite athletes at the head of the race whisk by at speeds that are hard for mere mortals to comprehend.

Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge was one of the biggest drawcards to this year’s event and although he fell short of the podium, finishing ninth, his words at the end were the best endorsement of the event organisers could have hoped for.

“It’s a beautiful course,” Kipchoge said. “It’s a course whereby there is no other in this world.

Kipchoge thanks fans at the steps of the Opera House.

“I’m happy to go across the finish line. I have nothing to prove. My mission is to bring all the people together. Let us surpass 55,000, actually, next year to run here.”

Given Kipchoge’s global status, that sentiment will help ensure this event will only go from strength to strength.