Tannum Sands parkrun review: a muggy walk-jog with my girls through Canoe Point bushland, a confusing briefing, little hills, Tom the Turkey and Phoebe the dog.

On her 26th birthday, Kirraleigh completed Sydney Marathon 2026, almost six weeks after losing her dad. Seven hours, one minute and seven seconds, and one promise kept.

At my first parkrun, I could barely make it back to the car. Ten years later, I completed my 200th at Mt Clarence with my kids beside me. There have been PBs, road trips, volunteer mornings and plenty of walking along the way. This milestone brought pride, grief and a lot of memories.

Two Sydney Marathon weekends, one hotel I’d happily book again. Here’s what we paid, what the room was like, the breakfast, runner extras and why I’d stay again.

We came to Pirrama for a quiet Sydney Marathon shake-out run. Then 1,053 people turned up. Here’s the course, the chaos and whether I’d do it again.

A year ago, Sydney was my first marathon. This year I'm heading back to watch my daughter tackle her first — on her 26th birthday. Same bridge. Very different runner.

My first marathon wasn't just about the distance — it was about showing up, navigating doubt, and choosing to keep going when things got hard. This is the story of that day, exactly as it unfolded.