Everyone will be a winner in Clyde this morning when the hooter sounds for the first "Clyde Classic" race.
Race co-ordinator Tom Heath said in the past there had been a road race from Clyde to Alexandra, which was cancelled in 2022.
A daily runner, the Clyde resident said he knew there were better places to run in the area than on the state highway.
"Clyde has some amazing tracks that I run daily and I started to plan a few routes that would showcase how beautiful Clyde is. Add in raising money for the local school where the event is hosted and it’s a win-win for everyone."
The Clyde Classic was born, drawing on knowledge gained as he trained for ultramarathons.
He was inspired by an Auckland school to combine the event with fundraising for his 6-year-old daughter’s school, Mr Heath said.
Clyde School would receive 25% of registration fees and yesterday that came to about $4500.
To encourage school pupils to enter there was a School Cup, with $2500 from Contact for the winning school. The first three runners in each age group would score points and the school with the most points would win the cash.
