Light Horse

Perry’s Paddock defines this race. Light Horse is a timed loop event in Woodvale, and its 10th edition is also its final one, focused on remembrance rather than hype. The organisers begin with the “sobering statistics” of service and loss, and the mood is a “show of respect and remembrance” for those who served and still serve. Before the running begins, the annual dawn service has the “crisp morning air pierced with the eerie horn” playing the “last post and reveille.” After that, runners settle into repeated laps over limestone, boardwalk and asphalt, finding a rhythm where the field thins out and you learn the corners by feel. Past and present service men and women line up alongside the wider running community, with a long-running tradition of heavily discounted entry for them. It feels like a race choosing to “close this chapter on our terms,” and that gives the finish line a different kind of pull.