The City of Greater Geelong is already looking forward to Run4Geelong in 2026 after a record-breaking debut as naming rights partner this year.
An impressive 6,750 people participated in the annual Barwon Health Foundation event on Sunday morning, which raised $323,000 for Barwon Health.
After years of sponsorship, the City stepped up to be naming rights partner with Run4Geelong for three years to support the health service that cares so much for our residents.
Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM and chief executive Ali Wastie were community ambassadors for the event and joined fellow councillors and City employees at the start line.
Norlane ARC fitness instructors Chloe Cristina and Jack McAllister led the warm-ups with mascots COGG Dog and Webstar.
In the event zone, our teams from Swim Sport & Leisure and Animal Management had special giveaways and offers, including a cool-down space and free pet name tag engraving – perfect for those entered in RunPawGeelong.
Behind the scenes, our Events, Parks & Natural Assets and City Works crews spent countless hours preparing for the big day.
The City also mobilised with flags, a projection at City Hall and signage across the region to spread the word about the cause.
Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
Run4Geelong is such an important event for people of Geelong – thousands of people showed us that on Sunday. Partnering with Barwon Health Foundation for Run4Geelong makes a lot of sense as we both work to create a thriving community. We can't wait to build on the momentum of this year and come back bigger and better in 2026.
Chief executive Ali Wastie
The community spirit was powerful and that energy spread far beyond the event precinct. We're proud of this partnership as it reflects the value our people place on Barwon Health and our wonderful healthcare workers. Bring on 2026.
