Australian PM joins thousands for Sydney fun run

Australia's prime minister was among more than 80,000 people who took part in the world's biggest fun run in Sydney on Sunday, which was won by local distance runner Brad Milosevic.

Milosevic, 26, completed the 14-kilometre (nine-mile) City2Surf race from central Hyde Park to Bondi Beach in 42 minutes and 15 seconds, beating his second-place finish last year.

"Last year I was probably doing the chasing off Heartbreak (Hill) so this year I wanted to be in the front and let them do the chasing," Milosevic told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"So it all went to plan, it was pretty close there.

"I thought we were going to have the closest finish in the race history but I think I just got a bit of a gap in the last kilometre."

Cassie Fein took first place in the women's race with a time of 46 minutes and 39 seconds, while Richard Nicholson won the elite wheelchair division in 41 minutes and 46 seconds.

The 45th annual run raised more than Aus$4 million (US$3 million) for charity, organisers said -- one of the highest amounts collected.

Under winter sun, the runners were joined in tackling the steep "Heartbreak Hill" by Australian premier Tony Abbott, a fitness fanatic who takes part in triathlons and has run in several City2Surf races.

"Age and stress are slowing me down every year," the prime minister told the ABC when asked at the finish line if he found the hill harder to run each time.
Source: AFP