For the Sydney leg of the 6th annual Irish Run the World, Sydneysiders once again ran around the beautiful Centennial Park in the city’s Eastern Suburbs. Over 150 runners participated in the fun run with their times perhaps assisted by the occasional gusts of wind blowing around the track.
Members of the Ireland Funds Australia Young Leaders, friends, family and supporters of the Ireland Funds participated in a warm-up led by Young Leader Committee member Niamh Cunningham before racing off under the Multisport arch.
Sydney’s fastest male runner was Sam Hinchcliffe with an impressive time of 17.29 and our fastest female runner was Geraldine Campbell, vanquishing the opposition when she crossed the line in 21.15. Finn Anderson blitzed the U16 male category with a time of 20:58 and Lila Augustynowicz took home first place in the U16 female category, crossing the line at 34:53.
For the 2nd year the winners were awarded the Andrea (Penny) McElhinney Perpetual Trophy in honour of the late and much-loved former Chair of the Ireland Funds Australia Sydney Young Leaders.
Run results
The event in Sydney was part of the 6th annual Global 5k, with Ireland Funds Young Leader chapters all around the globe participating and passing the virtual baton to the next city across a weekend. The Global 5k would not have been possible without the support of sponsors including Multisport, Glen Dimplex, PJ O’Brien’s, Aircom, KPMG, FINEOS, Lotus People, and The Lansdowne Club.
Runners and spectators alike refuelled themselves at the post-run barbeque featuring Irish sausages thanks to sponsor The Irish Butcher and delicious Ballymaloe relish thanks to Taste Ireland, provided by our volunteers who cooked up a storm. Runners also received goodie bags as they crossed the line, with thanks to FINEOS and Blue Dinosaur for donating the bags and inclusions. Treats from home were also abundant, with Taste Ireland providing everyone with Taytos, Club Orange and Cadbury Snacks. Our furry participants were also not forgotten, with a special prize for the cutest dog on the day thanks to DOGUE.
Sydney Young Leader Chair Donna Campbell thanked everyone for attending and spoke about the fact that funds raised at events such as the YL Global 5k are vital to support the Young Leaders’ chosen charities, which for 2019 are:
Caracare, Science Gallery Melbourne, Jigsaw, Irish Men’s Sheds, Soar and Suas
Thank you to all our volunteers and committee members who assisted on the day and on behalf of our committee we wish to thank all who participated in this year’s run or supported those fundraising for the event.
Photos by Kristy McVay Photography
