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Sitting here driving back to Melbourne a mere 48 hours post City2Surf, it seems like no better time to catch you all up on my experience.
Now back to how it all begun. At the start of each year I sit down and write down a sheet of my goals. Personal goals, sporting goals, things I want to do more of and a few far out goals…extreme sports usually fills this category!
So the City2Surf, the worlds biggest fun run, made the list this year. When I set the goal I was very new to running and daunted by it, but once it was on paper I was going to do everything I could to make sure I achieved it.
It’s an amazingly satisfying feeling to set goals, return to them a year later and tick a large sum of them off, I highly recommend it to anyone.
So when I checked out how to join the race I found out I could do it for charity. After recent success fundraising for another organisation for the Noosa Triathlon this year, I decided to try my luck again with a charity organisation.
I came across the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. Now as a cancer survivor I had a bit of a soft spot already, and after doing a bit of research and finding out that Brain Cancer is the number one disease killer of children in Australia I was sold. Sign me up!
I joined the team with my target to be $1000, enough to run for the team and make a difference. After exhausting a lot of my friends and family with my previous campaign I had to go a different route.
Working as a Learn To Swim Instructor down in Bondi, I made the plan to reach out to the family’s I worked with. I hatched the plan, each kid would get some chocolate (who doesn’t love a bit of childhood bribery?) and a phamplet for the folks.
I have to say I was overwhelmed by the love and support from everyone. An amazing community of families helped skyrocket my final total to roughly $3200! So I want to say a big thank you to each and everyone who donated, big or small it all counted! Also huge thank you to the kids who donated from their own pocket money (Luce & Gussy) you’re good eggs!
When I joined team Cure Brain Cancer, I personally knew very few people affected. During the campaign I found it had a huge impact on some of the people around me, from one of my superstars Tommy D’s pop, to my manager’s close family friends, it doesn’t discriminate!
Coming into the race it was safe to say I was a little apprehensive. My running training could be describe as slim to none in the past 8 weeks. My first and only training run was 48 hours before the race, a few niggling injuries really left a big question mark over how I’d go.
I knew though all I had to do was get myself to Hyde Park, and stick to the plan of no walking (even if I ran at a snails pace). In all honesty the no walking goal was due to the fact i’d have my running blade Cash on, and he’s for running!
BANG! The gun goes off, and the charity superstars take to the course. I had really told myself id take it super easy, but I got a bit competitive and decided to lean into it a bit more.
Such an amazing atmosphere, there was never a dull moment, and then I found myself at the dreaded ‘Heartbreak Hill.’ Now I’m not being arrogant here but I don’t know what all the heartbreaks about, I actually didn’t find it too brutal.
About 10k’s down I found myself beginning to falter a little bit. Until then I’d never run more than 10 so it was unfamiliar territory. Luckily the fairly constant 3k downhill made the finish all that easier. Sprint finish racing the clock to finish officially in 1.19, including 3 pit stops to fix my socket…ill take that!
Everything about this was amazing, the lead up, fundraising, publicity, the race itself, and mostly the people. To be running surrounded by thousands of people putting themselves through pain to raise funds for their respective charities was just beautiful.
It’s a hobby I’ve only recently discovered I thrive on, and I encourage everyone to get out there and give, theres always someone worse off. Even the smallest actions, leave the largest impacts on some.