I recently participated in the City 2 Surf with over 70,000 people this year.
While it's a fun run, many set goals to get better or raise funds for charity. Over the last 22 years, I have participated in this event 18 times.
Now, a confession: for the training endured during the year, this would easily be my worst result.
Did I get an injury? Did I fall? None of the above.
Let me share the reflections from the race — because there are life and business lessons here for the growing impact business space. From goal setting and setbacks, finding mentors, to training, milestones, and the results along the journey.
I'll conclude with five questions that can help shift thinking about your life and impact business.
The Race & Setbacks (Your Goals)
City2Surf is the largest fun run in the world, and this year, 90,000 people registered. It was full! It's a 14-kilometre event from Sydney to the iconic Bondi Beach. Over 77,000 people completed the race. People from all walks of life participate in the event. You don't have to run; you can walk as well. From old and young, big and small, fit and unfit, many have a go!
Bands and DJs playing, Hare Rama followers chanting, choirs singing, the public cheers and children slapping high fives — it's a great day out.
You have elite runners and those who set goals for this event. As a running enthusiast, I usually start training in March and get better for the race by August. My personal best for this race was 63.15 seconds in 2005, when I used to run and land on my heels.
One day, I had a sharp pain in my leg and sought help from experts. To continue to run, I needed to change my stride to land on my midfoot.
I effectively needed to re-learn to run.
A few years pass, and I start to get better.
Crack!
A flake fracture on one ankle one year. Then, a third-degree sprain on the other foot the next year.
With a family, the weight gain and these injuries, my times slowed.
Eventually, I set a goal to beat my time for the City 2 Surf.
I just turned 47, three years from 50, and I wanted to hit my goal of under 60 minutes for the
City2Surf. I thought my body and times would decline after 50 years, so this is my best chance.
From my average 80-minute time range, the milestones were to beat 70 minutes in 2023, 65 minutes in 2024, and finally, under 60 minutes by 2025.
The performance milestones are set.
In Business
We start an impact business because we are trying to fulfil a need, a market gap. Alternatively, it could be a talent we want to share. We naturally want to be rewarded as well.
We start with enthusiasm. A year passes, then another, and soon, we are open to the ups and downs of life and go with the flow — with or without any structured milestones or goals.
Sometimes, we face a shock in the business and seek experts to help us. We are grateful and get back to running the business as usual.
The pandemic, supply chain shocks, and cost of living crisis make the business challenging.
Eventually, we realise we need to do something.
We commit to leading a purpose-led business, growing ethically, and setting achievable targets.
What goals have you set for your business? Is it revenue, impact, or a combination of both? Do you have milestones along the way? Do you have an exit plan?
Training & Expertise
With the goals locked, and now the training begins.
Running alone and testing yourself against a watch is hard. I joined a local running group called Turramurra Trotters and started running regularly every Saturday at 6:30 a.m. This voluntary group has been going around for 50 years!
The running group has many experienced mentors who have done this race before. They provide plenty of advice. I learned that long-distance runners continue to improve well into their 50s and even 60s. They help me see past my limiting beliefs.
The training is working; I am starting to improve my time.
Due to past injuries, I want to ensure optimal running stride. I seek the help of an exercise physiologist on a treadmill. He guides me to quicken my cadence to improve my times and provides exercises for my butt. I want to continue running long-term, even after hitting my target.
It's slowly working. The KPI being measured is my cadence (footsteps/minute), and my times are automatically improving.
In 2023, I started in the City 2 Surf in the Green Group and finished just outside the 70-minute goal by 20 seconds.
Then, complacency set in, and I neglected my running. My times slowed over the next 3-5 months. My official race time needed to be under 5 min/km to get into the red (fast) group for the City2Surf in 2024.
I continued to train with my local Turramurra Trotters group but still needed to qualify. City2Surf race opens – I still have not qualified. I continue to find races where I can be under 5 min/km times. In June 2024, I finally qualified.
I contacted City2Surf, and they told me that all the red and green spots are filled. The only spot left is blue. I sign up with my nephew.
Running has become very popular recently, and many more people are signing up for runs.
In Business
You may be doing okay in your impact business. The bills are paid, and you have a few staff members — everything seems fine.
You have new goals, but business practices slip to how they used to be. It’s hard to change old habits.
The determined ones have joined impact business groups and met other experienced founders. Based on their journey, they can provide mentoring.
Some seek the specific support of experts, such as marketing, sales, tax, or others, to measure impact.
Experts and mentors can help us see beyond what we can for ourselves.
You may have been the first to market when you started, but now there are many more competitors — it's harder to stand out in the growing field.
Who is helping you see the whole business – from start to end?
The Race & Lessons
We plan for the day. We enter the race in blue and move to the start of the pack.
And then the shock. There is another group ahead of the blue group at the start line. It’s the pink! And there are 10,000-20,000 people in this group.
With such a large number of people participating, getting a clear run is important.
The target is to be close to the 65-minute mark, but realistically, about 67-68 minutes would have been okay.
Eventually, the blue group starts.
The start is a bit slower, but soon, the crowds clear, and the race field opens.
City2Surf has a steep climb called' Heartbreak Hill' at the 6km mark. I'm at the 8-kilometre mark, and I'm on 40 minutes. This is okay because the last 6 km are downhill, so I'm on track to finish the last 6 km strong.
And then, I met a wall of crowds from the pink group. The masses of people meant it took much work to zigzag around them.
The last 6 kilometres took about 30 minutes, with the sprint to the finish line. The 70 minutes and 18 seconds were just 3 seconds below last year's. All that effort in training is spoiled by choosing the wrong group and waiting to get into the red group.
On reflection, if I had entered promptly in the green group, I would have hit the 67 mark or better. My nephew struggled as well. He was just a minute ahead of me.
It’s still a joyous event.
Once the race was over, we went for a dip into the ocean at Bondi Beach and saw thousands of people with smiles on their faces.
My commitment now starts immediately for next year.
From foods to regular running and picking the monthly and quarterly milestones for the 12-month target in 2025.
Over to you.
In Business
You may be doing okay in your impact business. The bills are paid, and you have a few staff members — everything seems fine.
You have new goals, but business practices slip to how they used to be. It’s hard to change old habits.
The determined ones have joined impact business groups and met other experienced founders. Based on their journey, they can provide mentoring.
Some seek the specific support of experts, such as marketing, sales, tax, or others, to measure impact.
Experts and mentors can help us see beyond what we can for ourselves.
You may have been the first to market when you started, but now there are many more competitors — it's harder to stand out in the growing field.
Who is helping you see the whole business – from start to end?
Conclusion
I adore the City 2 Surf because it welcomes everyone to participate, irrespective of their athletic ability.
While the race is fun, it also allows us to set goals and improve ourselves.
Setting goals and trying them alone has a low probability of success. Having mentors around me has helped me see past my limiting beliefs.
We also need advice from experts in the field. Changing a running stride is difficult; it takes a dedicated new run and years to re-learn.
There will be hurdles along the way – life never goes to plan. Getting back on the training plan helps us achieve our milestones.
Trying to tick all the boxes and have the perfect run can also hold us back. Instead, we should get out there and try with what we have.
There is a beautiful saying that there is no such thing as failure; there is just feedback to help us achieve our results.
Bring on 2025!
In Business
These lessons can be translated to the impact business space. Many impact sectors are starting to grow with the rise of social enterprises. These include humanities, First Nations, climate tech, alternative proteins, whole foods and more. Let’s welcome this shift to the new economy.
Over to you - five questions that can shift your thinking:
- Have you set goals based on the addressable market or organic reach?
- Do you have five ambitious peers around you?
- Are you monitoring your goals monthly/quarterly?
- Do you have experts to help in each area?
- Do you have an advisor who can see the 'whole' of your business?
If the answer is no for any of these, let's schedule a time to see how we can help.
I'm Bob Sudharshan – your purpose-led business genie and CEO of Purpose With Profit.
An award-winning senior financial practitioner and tribe builder, guiding leaders to scale their impact business and be Greedy For Good ™.
📖🏆 If you are an ambitious, purpose-led brand with more than 30 staff that is not growing as fast as you deserve, let's explore how we can build tribes around your brand so that you can lead your category by measuring Purpose With Profit. We want to work closely with three impact businesses and document them in a book!
📖🏆If you are an impact intermediary (plant-based, social enterprise, impact, indigenous) looking to grow your membership, we are happy to consult.
🌱Our social purpose is to grow the plant-based food economy. We are happy to consult with conference organisers, institutions, and government bodies, as well as impact capital, to bring this to life.
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For businesses:
🩺 Risk-Free - Strategic Spark (90% of founders find new ways to fund, position and grow)
🌱 Keynotes - Plant-based Disruption – The Drivers & Barriers to Adoption
🫱🏾🫲🏻Keynote - Building Tribes Around Your Brand – Keys to Win Market Share in Crowded Market
🏦Keynote – Capital Cubed – How Capitalism Can Give Hope For Humanity