Runners join together across Australia and NZ to tackle climate change
JOINT EFFORT
Run4reef events were held yesterday in Cairns as well as another 16 locations right across Australia and New Zealand.
These ground-breaking events hosted 1000s of runners running as one for climate action. The events all started simultaneously so that runners were not only competing with participants here in Far North Queensland but also with runners right across Australia and New Zealand.
It was a tumultuous week where all Victorian events and Tasmania’s Launceston event were cancelled at the last moment due to severe flooding. Thousands of other participants ran as one in all other states and across the ditch in Wellington and Auckland.
The run4reef events raised funds and most of all awareness and conversations around the need for climate action to protect our planet, this year focusing on our own national treasure – the Great Barrier Reef.
Beneficiary partners included the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and both WWF Australia and New Zealand.
Environmental projects supported by the run4reef events were Plant a Coral, Net-free North and Save NZ Kelp Forests.
Runners came together in this unique event in Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Central Coast, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Moreton Bay, Newcastle, Perth, Cronulla and Manly in Sydney, Thursday Island, Townsville and Wellington NZ.
Cairns dominated the international results early in the day with both the male and female winner of the 1km and 5km events taking out the medals and showing Cairns' dominance.
1km
Female - Louise Lane 3:16
Male – Issac Blue 3:12
5km
Male – Archie Kefford, 19:52
Female – Ruby Pender, 21:42
Race2Zero is the race where the elite of the running world pitted themselves against the best to not only get the title of fastest person across Australia and New Zealand but the male and female winners of this run in each location will each receive $1000.
International winners were:
Male – Nathan Tse from Wellington came in at 30:31.
Female – Brielle Erbacher from the Gold Coast smashed a great time of only 34:39.
CAIRNS ONLY: Ollie Bolz, son of local Olympian legend Jill Boltz came in at an impressive 34:24 while Isabelle Dix ran the 10km in a swift 43:47.
10km
This was the race to create reef ambassadors. Every male and female winner in each location will become an ambassador of our reef and as part of a trip Port Douglas they will be rewarded with a trip to the reef and three nights at the Sheraton Grand Resort.
International winners ran incredibly impressive times of:
Male - Nick Earl from Hobart 33:31
Female – Olivia Whitney Auckland 36:25
All winners across all locations can be found here:
https://results.onetime.sport/run4reef/results
Every participant in the event was in the draw to win an Atto 3 electric car from event BYD and the very lucky person who can enjoy a new car valued at $44,000 was Belle-Marie Potts, from Cairns.