Sydney turned on the sunshine as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott joined a colourful throng of 85,000 runners including ballerinas, smurfs and people in onesies for the annual City2Surf.
Mr Abbott participated as the support runner for blind runner Nathan Johnston, with the pair crossing the finishing line in 1 hour 21.16 seconds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
He said he was hoping that the famous 14-kilometre run from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach would put him in a "good frame of mind" for Sunday night's debate in Canberra with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
"As you know I like to start my days with a bit of exercise, it's part of my mental health regime," he told reporters after crossing the finishing line.
But celebrity vet Dr Chris Brown, or The Bondi Vet as he is known from the popular TV series in which he stars, had less success after he collapsed 2km from the end of the 14km race and was taken to hospital.
The Bondi local, who was running to raise money for the Westpac rescue helicopter, said he'd been under the weather with a respiratory virus before the run.
At the 12km mark he required medical assistance after experiencing difficulty.
He was treated in hospital and after being released said he was feeling "much better".
"In hindsight, I shouldn't have participated in today's race," he said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Moreau was first across the finish line with a run time of 41 minutes 47 seconds, while Linda Spencer was the fastest woman in 48 minutes 28 seconds.
Paralympic champion Kurt Fearnley was the wheelchair winner with a time of 34 minutes 10 seconds.'
Dr Brown was one of seven people transported to hospital, including a 22-year-old woman with a fractured toe, a 73-year who injured her jaw and a 30-year-old man who collapsed and had to be incubated.
A total of 19 people were treated by paramedics for minor heat exhaustion.
