Your plan in four answers
Set for August 8, 2027, about 41 weeks out.
- Distances
- 14K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- Around 80,000 entrants in its biggest years; sold out three years running
- Taper starts
- July 27, 2027
Course
The City2Surf course
Sydney's 14 km point-to-point classic starts at Park and College Streets beside Hyde Park and finishes on Queen Elizabeth Drive at Bondi Beach. The opening kilometre drops down William Street, then climbs through the Kings Cross Tunnel before New South Head Road carries the field along the harbour through Rose Bay, around the 5 km mark.
Read the full course notes
Around halfway comes Heartbreak Hill, a steady climb of about 2 km from Rose Bay up to Vaucluse, rewarded with a harbour view at the top. From there Old South Head Road and Military Road lead to a long descent toward the ocean, a turn at Curlewis Street and a finish beside the sand. Start groups go from 7:35 am to about 9:30 am, so expect the first few kilometres to be crowded.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 14K
- Field
- Around 80,000 entrants in its biggest years; sold out three years running
- Weather on race day
- Early August in Sydney is usually mild and fairly dry: about 9–13 °C across the morning start groups, rising toward 17–18 °C by late morning. Later groups start in warmer, sunnier conditions, so drink early at the aid stations. A breeze off the ocean is common on the run-in to Bondi.
What to train for
Heartbreak Hill decides most races here, so train for it specifically: weekly hill repeats of 4–6 x 3–4 minutes at strong effort, plus a long run with a sustained 1.5–2 km climb in the middle.
Practise running downhill with short, quick steps, because the last few kilometres fall toward Bondi and reward relaxed descending.
Hold back over the first 5 km despite the downhill start on William Street, and aim to reach the top of the hill with energy to spare. A long run of 16–18 km covers the distance comfortably.
Sample week
A sample City2Surf training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the City2Surf
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on August 8, 2027, your taper starts around July 27, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Voltaren City2Surf (14K) on August 8, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
City2Surf training questions
How long should I train for the City2Surf?
Most runners give a 14k twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the City2Surf course hilly?
Hilly. Sydney's 14 km point-to-point classic starts at Park and College Streets beside Hyde Park and finishes on Queen Elizabeth Drive at Bondi Beach.
What is the weather usually like at the City2Surf?
Early August in Sydney is usually mild and fairly dry: about 9–13 °C across the morning start groups, rising toward 17–18 °C by late morning. Later groups start in warmer, sunnier conditions, so drink early at the aid stations. A breeze off the ocean is common on the run-in to Bondi.
When should I start tapering for the City2Surf?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on August 8, 2027, your taper starts around July 27, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a City2Surf training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.