Recap: My journey at Sydney Marathon

RUNLY NEWSLETTER #126
Thurs Sep 4th 2025

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be quoting Dr. Seuss in a Runly newsletter.

But that’s really how I feel about the Sydney Marathon.

Wow.

Seriously, what an event.

Sydney put on a show. For runners, for spectators, for everyone involved. The majors hit Australian shores for the first time, and it was something else.

For us, it was an epic week.

The Road to Sydney

Tuesday morning, 4am. Car packed. Stock already on the way from the warehouse. Nine and a half hours from Melbourne to Sydney.

Call it pre-event nerves, but this one felt different. Bigger. More meaningful.

Rolling into town Tuesday afternoon, the privilege of being part of something so monumental really started to sink in.

Bump In

Wednesday morning was bump-in. A car full of gear. Two pallets waiting at the expo.

I’d never been to this venue before. No idea where to go. No idea what to do. But we found our way.

And wow. This was the majors. The big time.

Brands had gone all out. Samsung. Chemist Warehouse. Ninja. Some of the biggest activations I’ve ever seen.

But if you got past the giants, you’d also find plenty of others like us. Smaller brands. Aussie-owned brands. Steigen was there. A few others too.

The Sydney Marathon Expo is basically Disney World for runners.

And as always, bump-in was gruelling. We don’t have big teams swooping in like the big brands. It was me, and I was lucky enough to have my dad with me.

It took all day. Every piece screwed into the next. Hundreds of bits. But by the end, it came together.

The Expo

Thursday morning, day one.

The first 30 minutes were dead quiet. I wondered what was going on. I didn’t panic, but I definitely thought… is this what the next three days are going to be like?

Then, 10am hit.

Chaos.

The ASICS merch store was certified chaos. And from that moment on, the energy didn’t stop.

Friday was next level. The busiest expo day I’ve ever experienced. A beautiful chaos. Nervous runners. Excited chatter. People discovering new gear, testing products, stocking up on last-minute needs.

And crucially, I wasn’t alone this time around.

Dan – you might remember him from Gold Coast – came to help. He gave me two full days of his time before running the marathon on Sunday.

He’s fast. He knows his stuff. But more than that, he’s just a good bloke. If you spoke to him at the booth, you’ll know what I mean. Dan, I know you’re reading this – thank you, mate. Couldn’t have done it without you.

Saturday, the final day. Shorter hours, but no less busy.

By the end, I’d spoken to people from New Zealand, USA, Taiwan, Slovenia, China, Italy, Japan and more. Truly global.

And then came bump out.

Exhaustion. Every piece unscrewed. Every unit packed. Pallets wrapped. Delivery notes written. Three hours later, I thought I was done… until my pallet wrap jammed.

Honestly, I was on the verge of exploding. Exhausted. Hungry. Dehydrated. And the one thing I needed to pack up and go home, just broke.

I know that everyone has been there.

You're completely and utterly exhausted, and then something goes wrong.

But after a few deep breaths and some frantic unpacking, I found a backup roll buried in a pallet. Crisis averted. Pallets sealed. I'm done.

Race Day

The next morning, we headed out to watch the elites fly past us.

They glide across the pavement like they’re floating. It was incredible.

But I was really there for Dan.

Not long after the elites passed, I spotted him. He caught my eye, swerved over mid-race, and gave me a huge high five halfway up the hill.

Less than ten minutes later, the streets flooded with thousands more. Bridges packed. Helicopters buzzing overhead.

A sight I’ll never forget.

Final Thoughts

To everyone who ran – congratulations. To everyone who cheered – you had the most important job of all.

Sydney was special. Truly special.

That’s all for this week.

Run well,
Robbie