It has been a long time since we planned to be in Cairns on 14 November 2012. Why? Because Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region is the only place in the world where the total solar eclipse can be seen on 14 November. Although, after having read this article, you will understand that Cairns was not the best place to see it... Seeing this natural phenomenon is rare, especially from land. It is only the eighth total eclipse of the twenty-first century. It is supposed to be visible along a strip of land about 200 kilometres wide which crosses the top of eastern Australia and the Coral Sea. Many eclipse-watchers took a flight to Cairns from all over the world. We are talking about 70,000 people coming for a two minutes glory of darkness. Special events such as Eclipse 2012, a huge hippie festival, and the Solar Eclipse Marathon in Port Douglas have been planned in the area to celebrate. But wait a minute, the sky is heavily overcast in Cairns! It might be 5 or 6 in the morning but the clouds are already up (are Mayans behind this one too?). Not the kind of eclipse we were expecting. We thought that a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon (not the clouds) passes in front of the Sun. Suddenly, a break in the clouds. We can see for the first (and the last) time the dark disk of the Moon obscuring the intensely bright light of the Sun. Asian tourists are hysterical and engage in an "Eclipse Style" dance (a dubious variation of Gangnam Style). A few minutes later, we experience a magic moment when the eclipse reaches its totality (even if we can not see it directly). It looks like someone somewhere just turned the light off. At this particular moment we understand why seeing a solar eclipse is an extraordinary privilege. Total darkness. Birds are lost. Then a few minutes later, they start to sing like they do in the morning. It is dawn again and the day can actually begin. So when is the next eclipse? 20 March 2015.

Running a marathon is a huge personal achievement. On this occasion some people, like Sarah, even run it as a part of a humanitarian project. Running a marathon among one of the most scenic urban landscape on the planet is a unique opportunity. Like the world's largest marathons, from New York City to Paris, via London, Sydney Marathon is a sporting event taking in some of the city's most spectacular and historic landmarks. Part of the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival, the event has three others distances to chose from so there is a run to suit all fitness levels (and they all go over the Harbour Bridge): Half Marathon (21 km), Bridge Run (9 km) or Family Fun Run (3.5 km). After going over the Harbour Bridge, the Marathon course continues into the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. The runners then head to Moore Park and Centennial Parklands where they run along the Allianz Stadium, Alessandro Del Piero's new playground since he has recently joined the Sydney FC. The second half of the race takes place in Sydney's central business district, close to Darling Harbour before finishing on a high note in the idyllic setting of Circular Quay. Approaching the finish line, on the ramp onto Sydney Opera House Forecourt, the crowd is so close and noisy that one could feel like being at the Olympics. Absolutely magic! Taking part in such a huge event is also an opportunity to "visit" a city as large as Sydney without the hassle of traffic. The 2013 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival will be held on Sunday 22 September!
For the record, on this occasion, Loïc set a new personal best in the marathon.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Blackmores Sydney Running Festival.

iPhoneography Oz gives a try to Guest Blogging! We are going to regularly invite a blogger to cover a topic about Australian society. Today, Sarah gets the ball rolling. Just like us, she is about to run the Sydney Marathon (Blackmores Sydney Running Festival) on September 16. Except that she is going to run in a dress!

This is a guest post by Sarah Forsterling of Social 4 Social

Lots of my friends are freaked out about turning 30. That it means they should be well on their way to wherever they had decided they wanted to get to when they were 21. But for some reason that is not me. Not sure if it is because I look young, have ringlets and don't wear much makeup or just because I see 30 as an opportunity to mark where you want to go. You are old enough to have an idea of the sort of person you want to be and the sort of attitude and energy you want to encourage in those around you. So I am pumped about turning 30 in two weeks time.

I love to do lots of things. I love reading, writing and running. I love spending time with my family and friends. And I love being empowered to make the decisions that affect my life. So I thought why not mark my 30 milestone by doing something that encourages all of these things - health, fitness, appreciation for the outdoors and education.

For my birthday I am not asking for presents or champagne. Instead, I am running the Sydney Marathon in a school dress, asking my family to join me and asking my mates to donate $10 to help send girls to school in Sierra Leone.

Not your typical 30th birthday celebration, but one which I will remember and one which I hope encourages me, and those around me, to continue to be positive, motivated and realise you can always have an impact.

I am going to turn 30, being hot, sweaty and healthy. Surrounded by motivated people, taking in some of Australia's best sites and being proud of helping share the joy of education with deserving girls. Hard to beat that.

If you feel like supporting Sarah you can do that over here, she would love it. Or you can find her on twitter or pop over to see her blog.

Photo captured by @sarfos. If you would like to guest post for iPhoneography Oz, send us a message and we will give you the details about how YOU can allow the iOz community to experience a preview of Australian society.

As part of our training for the Sydney Marathon (Blackmores Sydney Running Festival) taking place on September 16th, we participated in the Boston Bay Wines Half Marathon organized by Port Lincoln Triathlon Club. This race which starts and finishes at Boston Bay Wines is, beyond the sporting event, an original way to discover the bay of Port Lincoln, one of the world's largest protected natural harbours, on the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula. Friendly atmosphere, setting new personal bests over the distance, views of the ocean all followed by a pasta party at the Boston Bay Wines restaurant: a challenging and successful day!

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Port Lincoln Triathlon Club.

Running on a beach by moonlight is not unique to Australia. But we tried it today for the first time on the Sunshine Coast (the triathlon of yesterday has certainly given us ideas) and we found barefoot jogging on the beach interesting. Firstly because the beach belongs to you: no surfer, no kids, no ball, no dog. Then, because beach jogging allows you to observe in the front-row the race of crabs flowing into the ocean. You are now an integral part of the environment. Finally because jogging on beach at night has something quite unreal. Distances and perspectives at night seem different. So when the waves come up to get your feet, the foam in motion gives the impression that the ground is moving. We are a little disappointed with the result of this photo. The visibility was much better to the eye because it was not dark yet. The camera of the iPhone clearly shows its limits when the light decreases. In the background, you can see part of the freighters dance that sail every day to and from Brisbane.

What do you think? What are your running on sand benefits? Running shoes or barefoot? Do you wear jogging shoes for running on the beach? Have you experienced jogging barefoot? Where are your best running beaches? Let us know in the comments below!

The Gold Coast extends over several dozens of kilometres south of Brisbane. It is still part of Queensland. The town is populated by approximately 600,000 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest city in Australia. Some of them might live here because of the weather. The Gold Coast has a humid subtropical climate with 300 days of sunshine per year and an average annual temperature exceeding 25°C. According to Lonely Planet, it is considered to be "The Mecca of seaside tourism" attracting each year tens of thousands of schoolies. At first sight, the Gold Coast consists of a sad mix of Los Angeles (for its traffic), Las Vegas (for its ostentatious style and theme parks like Wet'n'Wild), Miami Beach (for its architecture) and Cancun (for its fauna and its haute cuisine... not). This is not exactly what we expect to find when coming to Australia. Surfers Paradise district has an appealing name though and… that is pretty much about it. Not too many surfers here but a lot of luxurious and modern buildings, including the Q1 Tower (one of the tallest residential buildings in the world). Actually they should think of changing Surfers Paradise name for Real Estate Paradise. It would certainly be a bit more accurate. The period is quite busy due to summer holidays. Today the Gold Coast is host to Summafieldayze, a huge annual music festival. A line-up of international artists such as Justice, Snoop Dogg, Moby or Erick Morillo performed on stage this afternoon. We have to admit, we are quite impressed. The town also hosts a few different major events throughout the year such as the Gold Coast 600 (a V8 Supercars street circuit carnival), the Gold Coast Airport Marathon and the Quicksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast (a leg of the ASP World Tour). In our opinion, unless you really like the place or unless you have already bought your tickets to attend an event, there is no need to book a hotel or any other kind of accommodation in the Gold Coast. Spend the day if you want, then drive (far away).