Ready, Set, Run: the buzzer marking the start of Newcastle’s run calendar

The streets of Newcastle were alive with thousands of eager runners on Sunday as the city’s biggest annual running festival got underway.

Almost 2000 eager runners took on the 42km stretch from Bar Beach to Carrington while even bigger crowds gathered to cheer them on.

Now in its 17th year, the festival is a celebration of all things running and has become a highlight on the city's sporting calendar.

NEWRUN owner and event organiser Henny Humphries says this year's first spilt weekend structure was a huge success, and they have even bigger plans to expand for the future.

“This weekend was a sell-out event, and hopefully, the Hill to Harbour will be the City to Surf of Newcastle in the future,” she said.

THE MOW-ATHON: RAISING CLOSE TO $10,000

While most pounded the pavement by foot, one Newcastle local, Daniel Robinson, covered the entire 42km pushing a lawn mower to raise awareness for youth mental health.

Robinson raised almost $10,000 for Headspace to support the mental health and well-being of young Australians.

His wife, Nina Robinson, says the support felt from the sidelines was unmatched.

“The energy and the vibe from everyone is just so impressive, the preserve to run a marathon, in general, is amazing and watching everyone here today will all the support on the sidelines has been fantastic,” she says.

RACE CHAMPIONS

Melbourne’s Bayden Westerweller claimed the title of race champion, running it at 02:30:14.

“It was nice to do something at a community level, it’s a nice change-up from those big city events,” Westerweller says.

“Since the pandemic, I’ve been trying to make up for lost time, so it’s been good to get around and take up all these opportunities. I've been training pretty hard for this one particularly.

Lexy Gilmour made her way up from Syndey to race the 42km for the first time while also being the first female across the line at 02:54:10.

Grey skies did not damper spirits, with Gilmour saying the “drizzle” helped get her to the end.

“It was so much fun, I wasn’t really going for any particular time I just wanted to get one under my belt and learn because it's such a different distance for me.”

“It was really beautiful out there for the sunrise, and the weather turned out really well.

DESTINATION EVENT

The event is growing on the map for race-goers, not just for its scenic location but for the fast, flat course.

The race attracts runners of all abilities, from some of the most elite athletes travelling from afar warming up ahead of the Gold Coast Marathon to local recreational runners competing in their first race.

Event organiser Henny Humpries says they love being given the opportunity to showcase the city's beauty and bring revenue to local businesses.

“We’re trying to have less impact on the city while bringing people in to experience what Newcastle has to offer, it needs to be a win-win, and that’s what we always strive to achieve.”

With plans already underway for next year’s festival, it’s clear that this event will stick around and continue to grow in popularity for years to come.