ORGANISERS say they plan to turn the Hill to Harbour into the "City2Surf of Newcastle" and hope to have 5000 entries in the next few years after a hugely successful start to the Newcastle Running Festival on Sunday.
More than 1300 runners tackled the 12km course from Bar Beach to Carrington, including the steep Memorial Drive hill, and along the way took in some of the city's most iconic sights. The event, in its 16th year, kicked off the 2023 Newcastle Running Festival and for the first time was a stand-alone event, as event director Paul Humphreys looks to turn the Hill to Harbour into Newcastle's answer to Sydney's City2Surf.
Cooper Lee was the first to finish in a little over 40 minutes, while Jessica Noble was the first female in 43:42.
They both took home a cash prize, while Luke Young was named "King of the Hill" when he made it to the top of Strzelecki lookout first. Humphreys said the event had evolved from a 10km run in 2007 to hosting five distances on the one day and now to a stand-alone race.
"The goal is to turn it into the City2Surf of Newcastle," he said. "I think we can get 5000 people in the next few years. "We had 1300 today and we can grow this really quick."
As well as the 12km Hill to Harbour there was a Halfa Hill to Harbour and a 2km fun run. The Newcastle Marathon is on April 16.
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