Finished The City2Surf? This Should Be Your Next 72 Hours.

Around 90,000 runners registered for the Voltaren 2026 City2Surf, taking on the 14 km course from Sydney’s CBD to Bondi Beach today. For many recreational runners, race day represents a considerably greater running load than a normal training session.

That means the next few days are less about finding the perfect recovery gadget and more about allowing your body to recover appropriately from a workload it may not be accustomed to.

What’s Normal Soreness — And What Isn’t?

The general ache and stiffness you feel after a hard or unfamiliar run is often delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS usually develops after unfamiliar or strenuous exercise, commonly becoming most noticeable over the following one to three days. It can temporarily reduce strength and range of movement before gradually resolving.

Typical post-race soreness is more likely to feel like:

• general heaviness or stiffness through both legs
• sore quadriceps or calves, particularly on stairs
• stiffness when first getting up that improves once you move
• widespread muscular tenderness rather than one very specific painful spot
• symptoms that gradually improve over several days

A potential injury looks different.

Consider having it assessed if you have:

• sharp or very localised pain
• significant swelling
• pain that causes you to limp
• focal pain over a bone, tendon or joint
• symptoms that are getting worse rather than better
• pain that is still significantly limiting normal activity after several days

DOMS is part of the physiological response to strenuous exercise. It should not automatically be interpreted as an injury requiring treatment, but equally, not every pain after a race should simply be dismissed as soreness.

1. Keep Moving — Gently

You do not need to spend the remainder of the day lying on the couch.

Light activity such as having a swim or walking can help with the feeling of stiffness and soreness. Meta-analysis evidence suggests active recovery can reduce DOMS, although the magnitude of benefit varies substantially between recovery methods and studies.

The key word is gentle.

2. Eat Well & Replace Fluids

Your body has used substantial carbohydrate during the race, and post-exercise carbohydrate intake helps replenish muscle glycogen. Adequate protein also supports muscle repair and adaptation.

You do not need an elaborate recovery supplement. Just a normal meal containing:

• carbohydrate
• good-quality protein
• vegetables or fruit
• normal dietary salt

Sweat losses vary significantly between runners.

Gradually replacing lost fluid and sodium through normal drinking and eating helps restore hydration after endurance exercise. Equally, excessive fluid consumption is unnecessary and can be harmful.

Drink according to thirst and continue eating and drinking normally over the rest of the day.

If you want some advice – contact an accredited Sports Dietician.

3. Prioritise Sleep in Recovery

Sleep is an important part of recovery from exercise.

Rather than focusing only on massage guns, supplements or recovery boots, give yourself an adequate night’s sleep and allow the physiological recovery process to occur.

 

Cold-water immersion is optional — but there is reasonable evidence that it can reduce perceived muscle soreness after strenuous exercise.

A 2025 network meta-analysis examining different cold-water immersion protocols found that approximately 10–15 minutes at 11–15°C performed well for reducing subjective muscle soreness.

If you enjoy it and your goal is to feel less sore, it is a reasonable recovery option. It should not be interpreted as essential for recovery or as treatment for every acute injury.

Cold-water immersion is optional — but there is reasonable evidence that it can reduce perceived muscle soreness after strenuous exercise.

A 2025 network meta-analysis examining different cold-water immersion protocols found that approximately 10–15 minutes at 11–15°C performed well for reducing subjective muscle soreness.

If you enjoy it and your goal is to feel less sore, it is a reasonable recovery option. It should not be interpreted as essential for recovery or as treatment for every acute injury.

 

Tomorrow may actually feel worse than today – that does not necessarily mean something has gone wrong.

If your symptoms are consistent with normal muscle soreness:

• continue walking normally
• gentle cycling or pool exercise is reasonable if comfortable
• eat normally and maintain hydration
• gentle mobility is fine
• avoid aggressively stretching very sore muscles
• do not test your recovery with a hard run

Post-exercise stretching has not been shown to provide meaningful improvements in soreness or recovery compared with other recovery approaches.

There are no hard & fast rules around recovery days post race.

Take 48–72 hours & then consider how your body is actually responding. If you find –

• walking is comfortable
• stairs are comfortable
• general soreness is clearly improving
• there is no localised injury pain

then an easy, short run may be reasonable.

Do not feel compelled to run simply because your training plan says you should.

Your first run back should be substantially easier than race day. If soreness changes your gait or a localised pain becomes apparent, stop and reassess.

 

A previous running-related injury is one of the clearest reasons to be more cautious.

A prospective study of recreational runners found that runners with a previous injury were approximately twice as likely to sustain another running-related injury as those without an injury history.

If today has aggravated an old Achilles, knee, calf, shin or foot problem, do not automatically assume that several days of rest will solve it – book in and get some educated advice.