Rebel Run Sydney review

The Rebel Run Sydney was held on Sunday 27 October 2013 at Homebush in Sydney.

The event was previously known as the Run4Fun, and is a sister event to the huge City2Surf.

The change of name coincides with a change of format. Previously it was just a 10km race, but from 2013 it became a choice of three races - a Half Marathon, 10km and a 3km.

I entered the 10km race, which I have done every year since its inception for all but one year.

The run takes place in Sydney's Homebush Olympic Precinct, which is a very flat course and that encourages you to do a PB. The only problem is that it is late in the season and seems to take place on a warm day every year, making that PB a bit more difficult. This year it was a week earlier than previous years, being on the last Sunday in October rather than the first Sunday in November.

The race itself is very well organised. You'd expect them to know what they were doing if they can run the City2Surf.

The 10km race was the last to start, and was scheduled for an 8.30am gun. However there was a delay. The announcer said he was waiting for clearance from the race director. At about 8.40am, he said there was an incident on the half marathon course that was causing the delay.

While I believe that someone's health comes first, they need to anticipate and work around incidents. A late race is not a good race. People time their supplements to release at certain points and a delay will disrupt this. Also, it was a warm and sunny morning and we were waiting at the starting line in the heat.

As I said, the course is very flat. However for someone like me who is a plodder these days, there are gentle rises throughout the course that I might not have worried about several years ago, but these days I feel every step of the way. I'm not complaining - that's all part of the joy and challenge of running.

Being in the Olympic precinct means there are vey few spectators cheering along the way, which is a bit of a shame, but in a way the solitude is humbling.

The highlight, and probably the big drawcard for most people, is that fact that the finish line is inside the ANZ Stadium, the same stadium where the Olympic events occurred and other sporting events take place, such as the NRL Grand Final. It's a rare opportunity to run into a stadium, albeit it is almost empty (see picture above). You enter the stadium following the famous blue line that the Olympic Marathoners followed in 2000 and have about a 100 metre dash to the finish line. It's not much but it's certainly a memorable highlight.

I like this race, hence I try to do it every year. I think its popularity is growing, and the break up of the races should help build its popularity in the coming years. I certainly hope so.