This is not part of my low/no cost races in South Australia, but a guide to the new distance addition to the iconic City2Bay fun run in Adelaide. Traditionally the longest distance has been the 12kms between the city and the bay, but in 2018 they added a half marathon distance so that’s what I’ll be reviewing.
Location
This is Adelaide’s biggest fun run and the course is basically Anzac Highway between Adelaide and Glenelg with a few extra bits at the start and finish. There’s a course map here.
Race choices
As well as the new half marathon ($85), there’s a 12kms ($50 Earlybird, $55 Regular, $60 Late Fee), 6km ($45 Earlybird, $50 Regular, $55 Late Fee) and 3km ($30 Earlybird, $35 Regular, $40 Late Fee) run or walk. There’s now also a 3km dog walk which is $40 for you and your dog, and $10 for an extra dog. All races except the half marathon have discounts for kids and concessions.
Elevation
Most people think the regular City2Bay 12km race from the city down to the bay is downhill, and while technically it is, and it’s nice that it feels that way, but mathematically it’s marginal. Feels downhill, but let’s call it flat. And that’s pretty important for the half where you start down towards the end and have to run the first part of the race to the city, because while it feels like that’s gonna be uphill, that’s also basically flat. Just look at the chart – 30m max. And that’s just about as flat as it gets.
The surface
It’s one big road. All the way into town, then all the way back again.
Support
There are a lot of support stations… about every 3kms. Just water. But keep in mind there can be big crowds, so getting to an aid station requires some advance thinking so you don’t get caught on the wrong side of a big bunch of people and unable to get to it easily.
Start/Finish line
Starts near the Morphettville Race Course. I don’t actually recall seeing any toilets there but I guess there were. Parking nearby can be a bit tricky but apparently there’s free transport to the and from the finish line – I’m guessing on the tram.
The finish line is where all distances finish on Colley Terrace near Wigley Reserve. There’s water, sport drink, fruit, and an entire tent city of bits and pieces, and all the shops up Jetty Road so you’ll be able to find literally anything you need. Personally, I walked across to Organik for the most awesome post run smoothie and feed ever.
Notes
2018 was the first year but they still got a pretty decent crowd – about 1,600 I think, which is a pretty good turnout for a first event. In a start with that big a field, it’s always gonna be a bit crowded, but after the first few hundred metres when you turn onto Anzac Highway, you have three lanes to run on so you should be sweet.
The other events start after the half, (the half starts at 6:15 and the 12km at 8am) so if you’re at the back of the field, you’ll be running the home stretch with the front runners of the shorter distances. When you consider there’s upwards of 20,000 people across all distances, there’s a decent atmosphere at the end. Easily the biggest field by far in any South Australian running event. Run fast or have fun, or maybe a bit of both.
2018 Bling
In year’s gone by, bling was non-existent, and in recent years it was existent but shit. This year the bling ventured into the realms of ‘not bad thanks’.
My verdict
This is a F.A.S.T. course. Possibly the fastest half marathon course in South Australia. Thinking about what other half marathons we have, it would be flatter and faster than pretty much any half marathon I can think of. The Greenbelt Half is supposedly downhill, but mostly on a narrow, winding path and with a few ups and downs. I had a very decent day out there, and ran about five minutes faster than I usually would and I’m pretty sure when word gets out about how fast this course is more people will want to go for a trot. When I do a race, I like for their to be a specific reason… great bling… an interesting place to run… in this case, I’d run it to smash out a good time. And a fun atmosphere given how many people are out there on the day.
GPS
Gallery
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