For the male winner, Olympic athlete Craig Mottram, the victory caps off a stellar career. Mottram won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships (5000m), has run at Olympic and Commonwealth games (silver in 2006 for 5000m), and held multiple Australian records.
His victory, at the sunset of his athletic career, shows he still can dominate the national scene. Mottram's time of 41 min 51sec is well behind two other Australia running legends, Steve Moneghetti (with the course record 40min 03sec) and Rob de Castella (40min 08sec).
But this result, combined with his running career, demonstrate he is still amongst the greats.
Casey Wood (47min 53sec) was the first female home. Again, the heritage of this race highlights Wood's achievement. Past winners of the City 2 Surf include record holder Susie Power (45min 08sec) and Lisa Martin/Ondieki (45min 47sec).
The inaugural The Sun City 2 Surf started in 1971 with 2107 entrants. Now it attracts over 80 000 runners and raises over $4 million for charities.
The status of this race comes not only from the elite runners it attracts, but also the City 2 Surf course. The 14k event is best known for "Heartbreak Hill." After a gradual downhill start for the first 6km, the gradient then climbs 80m in elevation in just over one kilometre.
This provides all runners with a challenge in both mind and body. For those strong enough to conquer the course, the finish line awaits right next to the iconic Bondi Beach.
From Sydney city to the golden sands of Bondi, this is a beautiful but challenging course.
Jeremy Dover is a former sports scientist and pastor
Jeremy Dover's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover.html