Say What You Want...

...but you can't say I didn't see Sydney.

You can't say this because I ran in the City2Surf run in Sydney yesterday. It's a 14k run with 65,000 participants. It is HUGE and madness, but it is madness that is exceptionally well organized and run. Registration was a breeze, and all you really had to do was show up at the start with your pre-mailed number pinned to your chest.

The atmosphere was very Circus Maximus. As I waited at the start with all of my friends, I was astounded by the wide variety of people who showed up for the event. There was a guy next to me with his five kids who was leading them on the run/walk. There was an early twenty-something couple who were waaaay into PDAs (Public Displays of Affection, for those of who have never taught high school) for the rest of us to be comfortable with. A group of people in grass skirts and leis running. I saw Hugh Hefner with a group of bunnies lined up at the start (I'm not sure about the wisdom of running in silk smoking jacket, though, seems like it might be hard on the silk.) Teams and single runners, everyone was there. I was lined up in front of the Australian Museum probably 500m from the starting line. The race started with a gun for 'preferred racers' at 9am, then the people who have run the race before with certain times at 910am, then us unwashed masses at 920am and finally, the Soul/Back of the Pack entertainment runners.

The weather was simply gorgeous, if a little warm for the race itself, very spring like, but a little too warm for running even at 9am.

If you look at this map, you will see the route of the race, the following section references the map a couple times.

Some things guaranteed to make a better race:

1) There were live bands all along the route. From jazz quartets to a bagpiper, there were all there. The highlight here was at about the 4km mark near Manning Street on that map. As I came down a long hill into town, I could hear heavy metal music blasting. Which was unusual because I was wearing my iPod and playing that pretty loud to cover up the sound of stomping feet generated by hordes of my compatriots. Coming into the town lined with shops, on the right hand side of the street was a large, old, Victorian style pub with a huge marquee. Atop the marquee was a Guns-N-Roses cover band, complete with bad wigs, BLASTING G-n-R classics. It was too good. I threw them 'The Horns" as I ran by.

2) The things you won't see anywhere else... Moving about 2 kms down the road to Rose Bay, where I boarded the yacht Love and War a few months back, I spied a group of protesters on the side of the road holding a banner that read 'No Mega-Marina.' I don't know what a mega-marina is or if I should be opposed to it, but they had a lot of banners. Which was when I noticed that that one of the banners was moving. Approaching the moving banner from behind, I could read it through the sunlight, it read "I'm not Borat." Which confused me because I wondered what Borat had to do with Mega Marinas. Following the moving banner, down, I noticed that it ended at it's base in a naked, running man. Who looked just like Borat, I guess. Well, he wasn't *quite* naked. He was wearing the appropriate footwear. And he actually had a...thongish thing on. I guess. I suppose you need to wear something to pin your race number on, don't you? Knowing, at some primal, instinctive level, that looking at him could lead to nothing good, I resisted the urge, which I observed in most of my fellow runners, to turn and look back as you past him (after all, running while carrying a banner like that is no joke.) And take it from me, he's not Borat.

3) Finishing on Bondi Beach. Every race in the world should end on Bondi Beach. It's just better that way. Logistically challenging, but better.

4) Hills named 'Heartbreak.' Seems like every big race has this hill on it somewhere and the City2Surf is no exception. It didn't seem that bad to me, but judging from the number of people who were pulling off to the side of the road to abandon hope, I may be wrong. These hills test you in the midst of a test you are putting yourself through. There are to be commended for their contribution...

All in all, it was a good day and a fun run. My time was horrible due to two factors:

1) My training in the three weeks leading up to the race was pretty much non-existent. A sure fire recipe for distress, if not catastrophe, but I had signed up and knew I could finish, so I did.

2) There were 65,000 other people I had to dodge for 14K. The other 64,999 only had to dodge ONE person. Me.

So there you go, in some ways a great way to say 'good-bye' to the city of Sydney until next time.