At this point I can honestly say that there is a strange impression which traverses through my bones of simply being in Sydney every August; this peculiar sensation is not a negative one, it is rather one where I have a sense of the cemented permanence in the continuation of my little sister’s legacy. Having competed in the infamous City2Surf since 2013, the time in Sydney during the eighth month of the year consistently since is one where regardless of the result achieved in the run itself, I feel as though I have accomplished something massive.
Funny indeed it is that something so minimal can create such monumental waves, both for awareness and fundraising for Dainere, as well as the extensive growth within myself. Last year, I was ecstatic to share the exhilarating news of my personal best time being achieved in the run, however, this year is not that write up and to be completely honest, it took me some time to realise that this is okay.
In previous years, the run itself hasn’t always gone to plan, however, after such a thrilling year with both a personal best time as well as a substantial amount raised, this year was admittedly hard to swallow, at least, the race result was. Despite catching a respiratory illness only a fortnight prior to the race day and having my asthmatic lungs not being able to recover in time nor holding out for the strenuous race, I had a minor breakdown after the run when being reunited with my supporting and loving parents and fiancé.
Despite being five minutes slower than 2025 and my City2Surf personal best, the sadness was not at this, rather it was due to the unusual idea I’d concocted in my head that if I didn’t achieve a time I deemed to be fast enough, I was letting down all those who had generously donated. And so there I stood, shattered, surrounded by those I love mere minutes after completing the 14km.
“You have to go through a storm to get to a rainbow” – Dainere’s wise words well beyond her years inked on to my arm in memoriam and to serve as a reminder. As I gaze down at these tattooed words, even now as I write my tardy City2Surf reflection, I am empowered to always make my way through any storms which arise, because once I do, I will be greeted with a well-deserved rainbow.
As far as my race result, I know now that it is okay to not run under a time standard that I set myself – bad days happen; the important part is to strive forwards and keep working hard at my training. Similarly, I realise now that the awareness raising and fund raising is not intrinsically linked to my race result, it is about what entering the race year after year stands for.
Competing in the City2Surf is just one of the pathways I run (pun most certainly intended here) to continue Dainere’s legacy, and I don’t intend for this to change any time soon. Without further ado and as always each and every year, a sincere and heartfelt thank you to each and every single person who took the time to make a donation; in doing so, you are a part of Dainere’s legacy, and to quote my inspirational little sister one last time in this post-race reflection for 2026, “My little voice could only make a small difference, but together many voices could create change”.
Be sure to keep a very close eye on all things Dainere’s Rainbow, I can guarantee you that the family and I have a lot planned and ready to put into motion.
