Bondi businesses promoting events around City2Surf have been drawn into a dispute over the use of the event’s name, after several local operators were reportedly contacted over alleged unauthorised use of City2Surf trademarks.
Read: Chad Aziz Conquers 4,000-Kilometre Cross-Australia Run, Finishing at Bondi Beach
Among those contacted was Bondi cafe owner Guy Turland, who said he was warned that an event described as a “City2Surf recovery station” needed to be renamed. Mr Turland said the event was being held in connection with a fundraiser for Bondi Beach Public School’s P&C and that the promotion did not suggest his business was an official City2Surf partner.
He also said other local businesses had received similar notices, including one promoting a post-race brunch. The dispute comes as City2Surf continues to draw tens of thousands of people along its route from Sydney’s CBD to Bondi Beach. The event was established in 1971 and has become a long-running part of Sydney’s sporting calendar. City2Surf’s official history lists Heather Turland, Mr Turland’s mother, among the women’s winners in 1994 and 1996.
IRONMAN points to trademark protections
The IRONMAN Group has confirmed that some establishments were contacted over what it described as unauthorised commercial use of City2Surf trademarks.
City2Surf’s 2026 event terms state that certain uses of its intellectual property, including the City2Surf mark, require prior written consent. The terms cover activities including the use of event intellectual property in connection with products, events, merchandise, websites and services.
Those provisions provide part of the context for the dispute, although they do not establish whether any particular local promotion breached the terms or applicable trademark law. The City2Surf event was acquired by The IRONMAN Group from Nine Entertainment in 2019, when Nine announced the sale of its major sports events portfolio for $31 million.
The 2026 City2Surf was held on August 9, with organisers recording 90,000 registered participants. The 14-kilometre course runs from Sydney’s CBD to Bondi Beach, while race day brings extensive road closures and traffic changes across the route.
Waverley Council’s event information listed affected roads in Bondi including Beach Road, Hall Street, Roscoe Street, Bondi Road, Campbell Parade and Queen Elizabeth Drive.
Debate over local business opportunities
The reported notices have prompted criticism from some local voices. Cr Michelle Stephenson has questioned the decision to issue notices to local businesses and argued that businesses should have an opportunity to benefit from visitors attracted to Bondi by the race.
Athlete and author Josh Lynott has also questioned whether the event organiser and local businesses could find a more collaborative approach. The IRONMAN Group, meanwhile, said it looked forward to working with local businesses on opportunities for event engagement and other ways to support the community.
The organiser has pointed to the scale of the event, saying City2Surf brings about 90,000 runners and an estimated 150,000 people in total to Bondi and surrounding areas on race day. It also said the 2025 event generated more than $30 million for the local economy.
Those economic figures are claims made by the event organiser rather than figures independently assessed for this article.
City2Surf also has a significant fundraising component. Its official material says participants have raised more than $63 million for charities since fundraising totals began being recorded in 2008.
Read: Ever Walked Bondi to Manly? Now You Can Run it
For Bondi businesses, the dispute highlights the competing interests surrounding a major branded event. The City2Surf name and related event branding are covered by intellectual property protections, with the event’s 2026 terms imposing restrictions on certain uses without prior written consent.
The dispute has raised questions about how trademark protection can sit alongside the interests of businesses operating around an event that has been held in Sydney for more than five decades.
Published 22-August-2026
