The City to Surf is a popular road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

 event held annually in Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 in which participants race from the city area to City Beach

City Beach, Western Australia

City Beach is a beachside suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6015. The term "City Beach" is also used to describe a specific beach located within the suburb of the same name....

, a distance of approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). A shorter 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) course is also run in conjunction, and a marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 was held for the first time in the 2009 event. The event is both a "fun run

Fun run

A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...

" and a race, attracting both serious runners and community participants who can choose to run or to walk.

40,000 competitors took part in the 2009 event.

History

The Perth event was first held in 1975. It is held annually and organised by the Activ Foundation. Over 25,000 people, participated in the 2005 race over the 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) course or 11km wheelchair course stretching from Perth to City Beach

City Beach, Western Australia

City Beach is a beachside suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6015. The term "City Beach" is also used to describe a specific beach located within the suburb of the same name....

, or a shorter 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) course from Perry Lakes

Perry Lakes

Perry Lakes are lakes located in the Perth, Western Australia suburb of Floreat. The adjacent parkland is the site of Perry Lakes Stadium, where the majority of events in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held. The Australian Scout Jamboree has been held in the parkland twice,...

 to City Beach.

The course record is 35:24, set in 2006 by Brett Cartwright.

In 2007 a half marathon was introduced, and in 2009 a full marathon, won by Kenyan Joel Kemboi. The full marathon course starts in the CBD and travels along the Swan River

Swan River (Western Australia)

The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....

for the first 21 kilometres (13 mi) before entering in to Kings Park. Upon exit of the park it's a 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) journey to City Beach.