How to Train for Heartbreak Hill (Without Being a Fitness Freak)
By Visit Bondi Beach Editorial Team ·
Part of our City2Surf & running guide.
No, you don't need to be a fitness freak to beat Heartbreak Hill - and with the next City2Surf on Sunday 8 August 2027, you have time. A handful of weeks of steady, unglamorous practice on gentle slopes is enough. It's a long grind rather than a wall, and the honest secret is turning up a few times a week and letting your legs get used to going uphill. I've watched plenty of first-timers who "hadn't run since school" reach the top grinning.
What Heartbreak Hill actually is
Heartbreak Hill is the roughly 2km climb along New South Head Road between Rose Bay and Vaucluse, beginning around the 6km mark of the 14km City2Surf course that runs from the CBD out to Bondi Beach. It rises about 75 metres at an average gradient of only 3–4 per cent, so it earns its name from length, not steepness. Push through and you're rewarded with harbour views - and the reassuring truth that the back half trends downhill toward the coast.
It's a rite of passage with real history: the race has run since 1971, when staff at Sydney's Sun newspaper borrowed the idea from San Francisco's Bay to Breakers. Tens of thousands tackle this same hill every August, and most of them are not athletes.
- The climb
- ~2km, Rose Bay to Vaucluse
- Elevation gain
- About 75m, avg 3–4% gradient
- Where on course
- From roughly the 6km mark of 14km
- You need
- A few weeks of easy hill practice
How to prepare, no gym required
Forget rigid programs. Repetition on small hills plus time on your feet does almost all the work. Stretch or shorten this to fit the weeks you have:
- Build the habit. For a week or two, just move four or five days a week - walk-jog intervals work well: jog 30 seconds, walk 90, repeat for 20–30 minutes.
- Add gentle hills. Find a rise that takes one to two minutes to climb and go up it four to six times, strolling down to recover, once or twice a week. This is the single most useful thing you can do.
- Grow one longer session. Keep a weekend walk-jog that slowly builds - 4km, then 6km, then 8km - ideally over undulating ground.
- A tiny strength set twice a week: 10 squats, 10 lunges per leg, 10 step-ups per leg on a bench or stair, and a 20–30 second plank. Step-ups in particular mimic exactly what a climb asks of you.
On the day
- Start slower than feels natural. The hill arrives mid-course, so don't burn your matches in the first few kilometres.
- Walk it if you want. Brisk walking uphill is barely slower than a labouring jog, and it's a fun run, not a race.
- Shorten your stride and keep your steps quick - small, light steps beat big heavy ones on a long climb.
- Look up the road, not at your feet, and soak up the crowd. On this hill the atmosphere genuinely carries you.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is Heartbreak Hill really?
More tiring than terrifying. At an average 3–4% gradient it's gentle underfoot; what makes it tough is the roughly 2km length arriving mid-course, when your legs are already warm. Pace yourself early and plenty of first-timers walk it happily.
How long do I need to train?
If you can already walk comfortably for an hour, a few weeks of walk-jogs plus a short hill session or two each week makes a real difference. Consistency beats any single long effort.
Where do I find this year's entry and course details?
Entry dates, prices and start-group waves change year to year, so confirm the current details on the official City2Surf website rather than trusting a number you read anywhere - including here.
So put in a few easy weeks, start race day slower than your ego wants, and let the crowd and the downhill carry you home to Bondi. See you at the finish.