“I think the rain made this year’s event to be perfectly honest,”  Stampede organising committee president Rod Campbell said.

“There was such a feeling of community well-being around today’s run; people were just happy to be out in the rain.

“People were getting wet and a bit cold but the mood was excellent and in some ways, the 2018 stampede was a celebration of rain as well as running.”

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Mr Campbell said more than 1500 people participated in the 2018 stampede from all over Australia. 

“The stampede is a whole of community event; we want it to be a positive and inclusive environment where people can participate at whatever level they like,” he said.

“We had people pushing newborn’s to one competitor who is 98, so we cater for all ages and all fitness levels.

“We are proud of the city we live in and the event does attract people from throughout the state and interstate to compete.”

Mr Campbell said the committee enjoys giving back to the community.

“We are a community fundraising organisation, our primary target cause is the river lighting project and that is something we are very proud of,” he said.

“We have set up lights along the river and it is a long-term goal of the committee to make our river more accessible to the public.

“It is great that people can run during those dusk and dawn periods along the river and feel safer and be able to get exercise, the feedback we have received has been excellent, the main thing we hear is that people can now go running along our river when in the past they may not have felt safe doing so.”