Many people would have woken up to the sound of rain on Sunday 22nd September and thought that it was the perfect day to stay in bed, however 34,000 other Adelaidians’ were out of bed and waiting at the start line of the Sunday Mail City to Bay. While the day started off drizzly and cold which would have put many people off the idea of running or walking 12 km, our staff members were not deterred. With our bibs firmly pinned and laces tied, we were ready to go (some more than others!). Kaleigh was ecstatic that she decided to walk the 12 km with our hygienist Rachel and her 3 children as she was quite sure that other staff members would not have given her as many delicious snacks and drinks along the way as she received from Rachel. Dr Irwin was ready to set another practice record and was quietly confident that once again he would do so “or die trying!’. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for us) the automatic timing system had glitch which meant that the final times for most of the competitors were unable to be recorded. It was the perfect opportunity for everybody to have run the ‘best time ever’!
However it was not about the times, it was more of an achievement to have finished the race, with some people doing it for the first time. The lure of breakfast and coffee down in Glenelg afterwards was definitely a draw card for many. The sun was well and truly out by the time the race was finished and there was great discussions about the race and the various costumes that were seen along the way. Although at the 8 km mark a few people thought this was ‘definitely the last time they would be doing this’, as we all limped off to catch the buses back to the city, it was agreed that it would be same time, same place next year!