Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The City2Surf is the largest fun run in the world and much of it runs through my electorate of Wentworth, starting in the heart of Sydney's city at Hyde Park and finishing at Bondi Beach. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City2Surf, like many mass events, had to be curtailed, cancelled or postponed. What the Sun-Herald did in this instance was run the event differently this year, running it virtually. All participants had to do was sign up and run the distance, 14.1 kilometres, at some point between 17 and 24 October.

The City2Surf is of course more than just a popular fun run; it's an event that offers a platform to raise money for good causes. Since the first starting gun sounded, participating athletes have raised more than $48 million for worthy organisations. My team from the Wentworth electorate office, along with my colleague Senator Andrew Bragg, ran together to raise funds for a crucial not-for-profit organisation called ReachOut. ReachOut has become the most accessed online mental health service for young persons and their parents in the nation. It provides trusted self-help information, peer support programs and referral tools for more than two million Australians each year. I'm pleased to report that Team Sharma raised more than $5,800 in support of ReachOut as they continue to raise money and facilitate mental health support for young Australians. Like many participants all across Australia, I look forward to next year in the fond hope that the run will return in the usual format.