It was a chilly but beautiful morning on Bondi Beach. While the iconic Sydney eastern suburb usually teems with beachgoers, attracting a lively mix of locals and travellers, there were more runners than surfers on this particular morning.

Over just a few hours, thousands of people had descended on the beachfront as part of Sydney’s annual City2Surf fun run. There was a sense of accomplishment among the crowd, not only because they had completed the 14km course from Hyde Park, but because they had contributed to something much bigger.

About 80,000 people took part in this year’s City2Surf on 12 August, raising money to support charity.

Among the participants on the day was a team of eight, sporting big smiles and bright green T-shirts.

For the past five years, Melissa Rhodes-Smith (pictured above, far left) and her family and friends have taken part in the City2Surf to raise money for ChildFund.

Last year three generations of the Rhodes family participated in the event, and this year was no different.

“Doing the City2Surf as a family is just so great, especially having the kids come along,” Melissa says. “Seeing them with the grandpas on the walk is such a pleasure.

“It is a really good chance to spend some nice, quality time together.”

For Melissa’s son Elliot, this year’s City2Surf was his first. He finished the event triumphantly, alongside his older brother Marshall, 10, and second cousin Nash, 11.

“Each year we seem to get an extra family member join us!” Melissa says. “Elliot is only eight, so I was really proud of him.”