Australian Wins City To Surf (2008)

Martin Dent Winning City To Surf

For the first time since 1997, an Australian has won this year’s Sydney City2Surf.  Martin Dent, a public servant from Canberra, won the 14 km race with a time of 41 minutes 12 seconds, beating his own personal best by 8 seconds.

29 year old Martin won from about 70,000 starters in the world famous fun run, held every August.  He was favourite to win the event, with many of the top seeded runners being Olympic hopefuls, waiting for their turn to run in Beijing.  The run therefore had more of a sense of a real fun run rather than a professional competition amongst the world’s elite athletes.

Not that Martin is any slouch as a runner.  He has run in the Australian and International Championships since his debut as a junior in 1999.  He just missed selection for the 2000 Olympics, and has since placed highly.

At the Australian Championships in 1998, he won the U20 divisions of the 5000 metres, cross country and 3000 metres steeple.  In 1999 he won the 3000 metres open steeple, and in 2005 he won the open cross country.

In 2006 he placed 4th in the Commonwealth Games 3000 metres steeple, and has run well in international championships.

Martin was born in Woking UK, lives in Canberra, ACT and belongs to the Bankstown Athletics Club.

10th August 2008