What do you do to have fun?
It’s 8am on Saturday morning and the volunteers have started organising the course for parkrun’s 321st event in Penrith.
The core volunteers start early to get the course set up so participants can concentrate on running or walking the two laps of Frenchfield.
For a few minutes after the PA system, tables, flags, cones and tape have been set up there is a lull in proceedings.
The Run Director is checking that everything is set up; starting flag? Check. Finish tunnel? Check. Are the walkie talkies on charge? Check.
Have the timing tokens arrived and have they been sorted? Check, check. So all we need now is the runners, walkers and the remainder of the volunteers. And then they come. Slowly to start and then there is a steady stream of people arriving in cars, on bikes and on foot.
Marshalls on the outer parts of the course make their way to their designated station, the Tail walkers don their bright orange bibs and as the clock ticks over to 8.59 Andrew Richardson calls everyone in for the brief briefing, which he still manages to make interactive, and then off to the start. A few almost late comers made it just before the klaxon.
Then the fun starts, hopefully.
On Saturday, 244 people completed the course and each person had their own reasons for being involved.
Some were clearly trying to run faster and get a personal best time, others were perhaps just trying to get round. But whatever the reasons let’s hope they were having fun.
Like Johnnie Young and his mum, Kerry. Visiting from Cambridge this was their very first parkrun and they “came to do some hill running”.
Ironically Penrith Parkrun course is one of the flattest in the country.
Although neither were sure they actually had fun doing the run, Kerry commented “I just know I am going to feel great for the rest of the day.” Johnnie was also looking forward to a bacon buttie which had been promised as a reward.
Between Harry Lancaster, first home in a new PB time of 16.11 and one of our regular Tail Walkers, Heather Heron whose job it is to be last, 242 people should all feel proud – whether they got a PB or not, hit a landmark or not – they got up and came along and hopefully even on reflection, they had fun.
And what about the 30 or so volunteers who get up even earlier than many of the participants, do they have fun? As one of the core volunteers said “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t get something out of it, but I’m not sure I can articulate what it is. Maybe it’s the social aspect of it, being with friends who run.” Maybe it’s because it’s fun?
Next Saturday we’ll all be doing it again, so why not join us for some fun?
