They marked the Wodonga Place checkpoint implemented by the NSW government to stop Victorians crossing the Murray River and potentially spreading COVID-19.

That same site, more precisely the adjoining park, will be the venue today for the launch an event which has done much to bring Albury-Wodonga residents together in recent years.

The City2City run walk has become a popular fixture on the Twin Cities calendar of events since it began in 2015.

Held each February from then on, the 2020 edition was completed before the virus upended our lives in the following month.

As sporting competitions went into hiatus, agricultural shows got cancelled and carols by candlelight evenings were shelved, the prospect of the City2City being staged dwindled.

Fortunately though organisers have found a way and plan to hold the Albury Wodonga Health fundraiser on February 21.

Unsurprisingly it will be different, with fun runs to be held on the day and the walk in virtual mode, allowing participants to complete it through the month of February.

Managers of the City2City should be applauded for determinedly committing to the runs, which will allow for 2500 competitors to participate.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The athletic showcase will be among the biggest events to unfold on the Border since the COVID shutdown.

It is a sign of the much trumpeted 'new normal' in operation, with occasions being held in tandem with COVID-safe measures.

There is great symbolism in conducting the City2City because it bridges Albury-Wodonga and reflects meshes the Twin Cities.

Our fabric has been stretched and frayed at times, given the border checkpoints and varying mask rules, but the City2City will help to figuratively weave us back as one.

When those runners pound Wodonga Place, they can lay new memories and forget how it was home to crippling checkpoints.

The nearby Union Bridge's name will be more apt than ever.