S.

Last weekend, Sunday 12th August, was one of my coolest so far experiences in Sydney!

The Sun Herald's City2Surf 2007 - 37th annual city-wide marathon, they say one of biggest runs in the world. Web page is worth checking, seriously

Very much true - this year there were over 60,000 people participating! Imagine that - Sydney's streets with a crowd of that many people running...Unforgettable!
Check the pictures below, and look at the very end of them - people are everywhere! The biggest event I've been a part of!..




City2Surf is a14 km run, going from Hyde Park to Bondi beach, up and down the hill. The weather on the day was great - about +23, sunny and nice; they say for many years it has always been good weather on the marathon day.

The run is often used for charity fundraising; this year teams got more than $900,000 raised! However, the very idea of City2Surf is to get Sydney people together in a community event - and that is truly happening. Families, old and young people, mothers with babies in prams - everyone gets to the streets!

There were 3 starts - for fastest people, according to last year's results (the winner got in in about 40 min!!); medium - for those who registered sooner; and Soul Back of the Pack (my group, YOHO!!!) - last 20,000 registrants; those that not much run but jug and walk. People get dressed in costumes - fairies, bees, pencils, gorillas, green and blue and red painted people - sydneysiders really have fun with this marathon :)

Usually you have to pay about $40 to enter the marathon; but my awesome company Adshel paid for the team; and there was I, at 7.30 (!!!) Sunday morning, registering to run...


I couldn't believe myself how many people were there, ready to start...How they say - you not only sign in to suffer for some hours of run, but you have to pay for that, which people willing to! true blue aussie spirit - go sporty, have fun, and support a good cause meanwhile.

My category start, the 3rd and the last - and there were we, moving in a speeding up crowd, surrounded by thousands of other people, flooding main streets of the city! (which were of course closed for the run period)


I LOVED IT, ever minute!!!
The day was great, the spirit was high, and the challenge was reasonable :)

There were bands playing along the way;


There were stands with free water and gatorade supply, messages of support posted all along the way, regular people living on the road that was run, giving water also, and giving suncreen to all those in need;
other kind citizens spraying passing by runners from their garden hoses - which came very handy when getting up the hill in the morning sun :) people were having parties on the road, cheering to crowds jogging by.

Such a great spirit, laughter and chatting everywhere, but with many runners determined to make it on whatever the goal they put for themselves.

My favorite picture of the run, kind of 'You Can Do It' type: an old man (he was slow but determined; may be in his 70s); years when he run the marathon on the shirt, and this written in the middle: 'push me to start me' hehehe, so cool :)



I have decided to run those 14 km in under 2 hours, and i did just about that; 122.42 min
VERY PROUD! :)
Try this link to see a video of me crossing the line
However the mistake was that i didn't practice at all for the run, and now my body pays for that; I feel now muscles I didn't know I have :)

It feels good however - my very authentic aussie experience, I was there, I made it!
Great initiative, great time, great country that is.
City2Surf 2007, I'm yours forever!

Labels: city2surf, sydney

I've finally managed to dedicate time and fixed my blog's archive!!!
so now all my past posts are also available - interesting to read back in time what I was thinking :)
Somewhere in October I think I'll celebrate 2 years of my blog!!! hehe big birthday party is coming :)

Some images from my last couple of weekends in Sydney:




Where else I can take a picture lying on the cliff, with the city center in the background??

And these are from my walk across Harbour Bridge (finally :)






That last one was from my favorite park in Sydney, definitely the best park view in the city - small Clark Park in North Sydney, peaceful corner with nice little houses around, on the edge overlooking a part of Sydney Harbour, so cool...

Labels: sydney

One of previous weekends me, Jem and Su, and Su's friend Luka, went for the Aroma Festival in The Rocks.
Aroma Festival is the event that brings together dozens of coffee professionals - roasters, baristas, etc etc. True celebration for coffee lovers :) And there were tea, chocolate, spices places also, but coffee dominated the scene, with muscial groups also performing. You could buy a cup of coffee for 1 dollar - imagine how much of coffee was drunk that day!



Luka, Su's friend, is a professional barista, knows most people who came to work/exhibit at the event. One more time I was reminded, how diverse interests and professions of people are! Apparently there is even a world championship for baristas (oh sorry - barista is the professional coffee maker, but not just the one that does Starbucks cuppa coffee; barista will be able to extract the best out of the coffee beans for us to enjoy coffee :)
Imagine - having a friend, who is the best in the world in making latte!..

Some more snapshots are below;
Aroma Festival is a great example of an event in Sydney - easy-going, enjoying life, music and outdoors.




(does it look anyhow similar? I tried!! :)

Labels: aroma festival, coffee, sydney