Pride Week
To celebrate our LGBTIQA+ community, Sydney WorldPride and Mardi Gras, we’re putting on two special runs this week.
Tues 21 Feb: Social Double Rainbow 🌈🌈
Our regular Tuesday night social run at 6:30pm from the Coke Sign in Kings Cross, 7km run, with a special route. All paces, all faces, all weather.
Thurs 23 Feb: Pride 5000 @ ES Marks 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
A 5000m time trail at the track, run in a welcoming and inclusive environment, celebrating our LGBTIQA+ community, for everyone, all paces, all weather.
Organised in collaboration with Turbo Runners, with all crews and/or individuals welcome to join.
Where: ES Marks Track
Entry: $6 via centennialparklands.com.au/training
When: Thursday 23rd Feb
Warmup 6:30pm
1st Heat 7:00pm for those running 20min+
2nd Heat 7:30pm for people running under 20min
3rd Heat 8:00pm Sub 17 minutes
We are encouraing everyone to donate to a great cause through this donation link. All funds go directly to Twenty10, an org founded in Darlinghurst that provides a broad range of free, accessible mental health programs, events, safe spaces, in particular for young people in the LGBTIQA+ community.
Note: this is an opening training night at ES Marks, so we will be respectful of other track users.
Auckland Floods Recovery Run
KXTC came together with Grave Runners, on the 11th of Feb to raise awareness, support and donations for those affected by the Auckland floods.
We held simultanenous runs with 200+ runners covering a combined 1800km across 4 locations of Sydney (KXTC, Turbo, Furies), Auckland (Grave Runners), Wellington (Personal Best), Melbourne (AM:PM, RUN.SY)
We raised $3,585 including a $2k matched donation from Allbirds, with funds going directly to the Auckland City Mission, helping out those who need it most. Donation link is still live here: Recovery Run
The belief community disguised as a running club.
Miles McD - 25 Jan 2023
Running is primarily a solo endeavour, you choose your schedule, distance, and pace.
Running isn’t for everyone. It’s a tough mental pursuit; you must stick at it, block out the nagging voice in your head and keep putting one foot in front of the other whilst continually fighting the urge to walk or stop altogether.
The scales in your head are always tipping the balance towards reasons why you shouldn’t start or even continue once you have laced up. There are days where you can barely find a single reason to do it, but deep inside there’s something that pushes you, just ask Nedd Brockman!
Each runner’s goals are unique. They are formed out of a deep intrinsic motivation that is almost unexplainable. Whether it’s your first 500m without walking or your first 100 mile race, the more you stick with it, the more you want to push yourself to run further, faster or on more extreme terrain.
“But I didn't walk a single step. I stopped a lot to stretch, but I never walked. I didn't come here to walk. I came to run --- No matter how slow I might run; I wasn't about to walk. That was the rule.” ― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.
I fought the solo running demons for some time, until one day I felt brave enough to attend a group run, with the run crew movement gaining popularity around the world circa 2015.
Crew - A group of people who work closely together.
Running as a group offers the chance to connect, meet people, share goals and motivations, and be outside.
As an introvert, running with Kings Cross Track Club allowed many of my awkward conversational barriers to drift away. There’s something about running and chatting, the rhythm, the flow, it just makes talking easier. Conversely it also makes running easier, you don’t focus on the fatigue, the doubting voice in your head is forced out by the real conversation.
These discussions have allowed me to be inspired by the challenges my peers seek and train for, they’ve led me to set and achieve goals I couldn’t have perceived, they’ve motivated me as a runner, but also, they’ve enriched many aspects of my life away from running.
I’ve met people from every corner of the world, I’ve learnt a lot about other people, their perspectives on life, food, travel, music, fashion, art, and everything else away from running. My life in Sydney is culturally richer from these conversations. I’ve realised how many people have positively rubbed off on me in these communities; the knowledge I’ve gained, the advice I’ve taken, the self-confidence I’ve built and belief to continue to dream.
Now I have several lifelong friends and some of my proudest accomplishments have been achieved with the KXTC family right beside me! I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any of these things without ‘showing up’ and the more I kept doing that, the less intimidated I became. I realised these people were just like me; they had once meekly attended their first run and wanted to run off halfway through and cry because they also didn’t feel fast enough or cool enough.
From my first runs with KXTC I have since shared Birthdays, Christmases, Weddings, Beds, Dogs, Babies, Massage Therapists and Toilets. I’ve continued to exchange ideas and opinions on relationships, politics, business, fashion, travel, Carbon Plated Shoes & the intricacies of Strava etiquette.
I’ve taken a lot from the KXTC community, but giving back has been even more rewarding for me. I’ve learnt the importance of ‘paying it forward’. Recognising that everyone starts somewhere and remembering my first steps into community running, I’ve made an effort to be extra welcoming to people who attend for the first time, to extol the virtues of running as a community. Never forgetting how I first felt, but also knowing the potential benefits to someone new far beyond ‘just running’.
Running has given me a different perspective on life! It has allowed me to see more of the world, discover interesting corners and angles of the cities I’ve visited and lived in, as well as learn deeply about myself. But running with KXTC has made me a better person, more open, more rounded. It’s helped me find my place in a new city and build a life with some amazing supportive friends in it.
Your challenges, races or targets will be your own, but if you surround yourself with people that make you believe your impossible is possible, I promise you’ll go further and faster than you ever dreamed…KXTC – The belief community disguised as a running club.
I’ll see you 6:30 pm Tuesday at the Coke Sign.
KX Trail 7.0 - Feb 25
KX Trail is a monthly trail run catering to people getting out for their first trail run. We keep it at a chill pace, don’t leave anyone behind, and enjoy being within nature. The next is taking place at Glenbrook on the 25th of Feb. We’ll be taking the train up, and running an 11km trail, with an optional swim in the Jellybean Pools at the end.
The run is currently at capacity, but you can sign up for the waitlist on the Eventbrite Page. Photos from previous runs on @kx.trail
Merch
Merch is currently printing. We’ll inform those who ordered when they are ready for collection!
KXTC Calendar
Feb 25 KX Trail 7.0
March 18 KX Trail 8.0
April 16 Canberra Marathon
April 29 KX Trail 9.0
May 21 Runaway Sydney Half Marathon (formely SMH Half)
July 1-2 Gold Coast Marathon
July 23 Sydney Harbour 10k
August Bali Marathon 🌴
August 13 City2Surf Sydney
September 17 Sydney Marathon (formerly Blackmores)
October 15 Melbourne Marathon
Regular Runs
Social Tuesday 6:30pm at the Coke Sign
Community Track Thursday 6:30pm at ES Marks
Long Saturday 7:30am at the Coke Sign (Run, Dip, Run