Thousands Make History At Round The Bays

More than 3,000 people made history today – taking part in the first-ever Southern Cross Round the Bays in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

This is the first time Round the Bays has been held in the South Island – however it has been an iconic must-do fun run in Auckland and Wellington for decades.

And Canterbury embraced the first instalment. Dressed in all manner of this year’s theme –superheroes – they included one dad in an inflatable costume with his Flash Gordon daughters. There were bananas, orange road cone caps with matching tutus, pink capes and even a family of ninja turtles who stuck it out to the end, creating a sea of colour and a wave of energy. They walked, ran, wheeled and conquered the 8.4km course on a beautifully-calm morning, travelling from across New Zealand, and also from Sydney and Melbourne.

It has far outweighed the very first Round the Bays in Auckland 53 years ago, when just over 700 people had hand-written bibs.

This weekend, participants included cancer survivor Julie Coster and her daughter Danielle, and wheelchair competitor Lee Warn who have now done all three cities this year.

“The crowd loved it, from the serious runners wanting to achieve their PB to families out having fun. In true Canterbury spirit there was a great percentage of people dressed up and more families, than the other cities. It was the best way to launch the third city,” Southern Cross Round the Bays event director Henry McLernon says.

“And there was a unique twist to this one, with participants able to choose to boost it from Marine Parade to the finishline at Thomson Park, or they could truly make it around the bays by taking in the final stretch along the beach at New Brighton Pier.”

There were more than a dozen entertainment acts along the route including DJs, a pipe band and stilt walkers to keep people motivated, and there was a finisher’s medals for all at the end.

“It was awesome to see so many families out on the course. It’s the beginning of a legacy – there are parents who take part in Auckland and Wellington that did it in prams as kids. We want that for Christchurch too.”

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