Event sponsor Merivale Group best represents both the Fun and the Competition of the Pub2Pub, with rival Teams from The Newport and The Collaroy vying for more than just a title. Currently The Newport has 19 team members and The Collaroy 13… but these guys are not just competing on Team Size… results in the big race are what counts.

All 32 Merivale staff members are running in the 13km event starting at Dee Why. The winning team will be the one with the best average time… and the losing team will host the winners for a dining experience at their venue (and at their cost!).

But wait, there’s more… The Newport Team has stolen their mates’ Team Mascot – a giant metal crab originally on display at The Collaroy. They’ve had the infamous crustacean mounted to a trophy, especially made for Pub2Pub, which will sit in the Winners’ main bar each year from now on, in between Pub2Pubs! So the stakes are high as The Collaroy wants their mascot back, while The Newport intends to keep it!

All fun aside, the two Merivale Teams have also entered into the true spirit of the Pub2Pub, which is all about raising money for charity… in their case, the venues hope to raise a combined $4,000 for local youth suicide prevention organisation, One Eighty. This resonates with Merivale staff after losing a colleague to mental illness not long ago.

Teams Co-Ordinator, Angela McDonald said this week: “We as a Team feel so lucky to have networks like One Eighty in our local community, who are really doing things that have the potential to change people’s lives, so we don’t need to constantly deal with crisis. Our aim is to support this cause by generating awareness and raising funds to help them build their presence right across the Northern Beaches.”

Click here to DONATE to ONE EIGHTY