Winners
                    
1st - Martin Dent - 29.10                                                       1st - Magda Karimali-Poulos - 36.34
2nd - Mark Tucker - 30.10                                                    2nd - Hannah Flannery - 37.03
3rd - Anthony Haber - 30.46                                                 3rd - Verity Tolhurst - 38.01

RESULTS NOW LIVE

Martin Dent and Magda Karimali-Poulos, the winners of the inaugural Rebel Sport Run4Fun at Sydney Olympic Park, could not have been more delighted with their half-hour’s work.

It only took 29min 10s for race favourite Dent to claim line honours over the flat 10km course and his huge 1min margin over second placegetter Mark Tucker was evidence of his foot speed and discipline while running largely alone at the head of the field.

Greek-born Australian Karimali-Poulos, who ran a personal best 2hr 40min to finish third in the Melbourne Marathon four weeks ago, surprised herself with a convincing 36min 34s victory when she had expected only a minor placing, at best.

Not only the winners were grinners at Homebush yesterday, as almost 5,000 runners, joggers, walkers, family groups, children in prams and people in wheelchairs took up the first-time challenge of the Run4Fun, presented by The Sun-Herald.

A brief shower of rain as world champion ironman Craig Alexander fired the starting gun hardly dampened enthusiasm and thousands of supporters gathered to cheer on the runners, who finished inside ANZ Stadium while watching themselves run over the line on the big screen.

Canberran Dent couldn’t fault his performance, or the Run4Fun experience, as he strives to achieve his goal of representing Australia in the Commonwealth Games marathon in Delhi next October.

“Finishing in the stadium was awesome – the last time I was there I was watching the Olympic Games and I ran in the Olympic trials there in 2000 as well,” Dent said.

“It was a great way to win inside a major stadium and it was a pretty good time, although it is hard to push yourself flat-out when you’re on your own.

“I guess it was a controlled race and to come out with a fast time is pleasing.

“Mark Tucker is usually a person to try and out-sprint you at the end, so I knew I had to get out pretty hard and I was on my own by the 3km mark.

“I’m very happy with how I’m running at the moment and now I have to focus on a good run in February at the (Commonwealth Games qualifying) marathon in Japan.”

Tucker finished in 30.10, while Dent’s training partner and his Canberra co-driver, Anthony Haber, was third in 30.46.

Meanwhile Karimali-Poulos was planning a celebratory lunch with her friend and women’s third placegetter, Verity Tolhurst, after her 29s win over Hannah Flannery.

The Caringbah-based 36-year-old, who moved to Australia seven years ago, said she was in the best form of her career.

“I did not expect to win (the Run4Fun) because the Melbourne marathon was only four weeks ago but I had two weeks off and maybe that was it,” Karimali-Poulos said.

“It was not my best time for 10km – I did that six months ago – but still I am very happy to win.

The Run4Fun was a major fundraiser for NSW’s leading children’s hospitals at Westmead, Randwick and Newcastle via the Herald Heroes online fundraising initiative.       

The Rebel Sport Run4Fun, presented by The Sun-Herald, was supported by ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, 2XU, Brooks and Novotel.