Our iconic Sunday Mail Transurban Bridge to Brisbane is once again open for registrations.
After the disruptive impacts of COVID-19 on community sport and recreation, this run, walk or stroll along some of Brisbane’s scenic road routes offers us more than just an increased heart rate, sweaty forehead and red cheeks, but also important opportunities to reconnect with our bodies, spend time with our friends and family, and experience those all-important senses of fun and community.
After such a prolonged and tough time many of us have experienced through the pandemic, Bridge to Brisbane really helps us link in with those ideas of fun and community, and one of the ways it does this is by providing us with a local opportunity for ‘fitness philanthropy’. Fitness philanthropy is the idea that we can connect our own recreation practice and health objectives with broader community wellbeing. We can do this by linking our fun-run preparation and participation with fundraising and charity giving, so community groups and charities see the fruits of your sweaty endeavours.
For instance, by registering in the 4.5km or 10knm event, you get the opportunity to connect with the Bridge to Brisbane’s fundraising efforts, so you’re running for good – not just your own ‘good’, but for your community as well.
This year, organisers are keen to see the whole family participate, and as an incentive, the registration fee for participants aged under 15 includes a $5 donation to their nominated school charity. Also, for parents with little people in prams – prams are permitted and kids in prams are free (you just won’t get the race pack goodies, and are requested to start the race at the back of pack).
In 2021, a record $1.2 million dollars was raised for charities right across the country, and organisers are hoping people just like you will be motivated to join in and help push those fundraising records up again in 2022.
Inspired? Motivated? Early bird entries are open on the website now, $52 for the 4.5km race starting at Hercules Park, Hamilton and crossing the finish line at the Brisbane Showgrounds, or $62 for the 10km race starting in Murarrie, to take on the Gateway Bridge, and also finishing at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Your registration fee includes race entry, t-shirt, race number bib, certificate and medal, transport to and from the event, access to the B2B app and entertainment at the Brisbane Showgrounds finish line. It’s also an investment in your fitness as you prepare for your 4.5km or 10km run over the next few months with friends and family, with great opportunities for #makingmemories!
To find out more and register, see the website: https://bridgetobrisbane.com.au/
- Palmer, C. (2021). Fitness Philanthropy and Social Capital: an Emerging Research Agenda for Sport and Community Well-Being, International Journal of Community Well-Being, 4, 77-90, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42413-020-00063-w
- Palmer, C. & Dwyer, Z. (2020). Good Running?: The Rise of Fitness Philanthropy and Sports-Based Charity Events, Leisure Sciences, 42(5-6), 609-623, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2019.1656122
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