It was a mild and dry morning at Frenchfield for the Penrith parkrun experience on Saturday and 294 walkers, joggers and runners took advantage of the favourable conditions to tackle the 5k course.
They were supported by a team of 32 volunteers making the event possible.
Event number 349 saw 68 first timers and 34 new personal bests recorded; 38 clubs were also represented. Harry Lancaster of Eden Runners finished first in a time of 16.11. The first female over the line was Molly Pace of Jesmond Joggers in a time 19.21.
There were also a number of milestones to celebrate this morning. Local runners and members of Eden Runners Larry Horne and Helen Tyson reached their 100th and 150th runs respectively. Tabitha Smith of Bramhall runners reached her 100th parkrun on her visit to Penrith and John Welch a regular visitor to Penrith reached his 150th parkrun. Congratulations to all of them.
One of the clubs was Howgill Harriers, they have recently started groups for beginner and intermediate runners on a Monday in Sedbergh and Tuesday in Kirkby Stephen supporting people to work towards a 5k.
We were joined by some of the Sedbergh group, some of whom were first time parkrunners. We hope they enjoyed their run and will come and see us again.
One of the many benefits of parkrun is that having registered you can take part in any parkrun as long as you have your barcode making parkrun tourism a popular option.
Another of the clubs that were represented were Didsbury Runners with 30 of their members joining us. Many of them are involved in supporting Fletcher Moss parkrun but having come to Dufton for a weekend away took the opportunity to run at a different location.
Parkrun events are only able to go ahead with the help of volunteers and we also enjoy celebrating their milestones.
Carolyn Burns volunteered for the 200th time. I asked Carolyn what it is she enjoys about volunteering and she said: “Our parkrun is a hugely positive welcoming place whether you’re a regular, first-timer or just passing through. I feel very honoured to be a small part of this great team and amazing community.”
Thank you to Carolyn and all the volunteers who give up their time each week. If running or walking isn’t for you there are a large range of volunteer roles available which include being up front or working behind the scenes. If you’re interested in getting involved contact you’re local parkrun and try some different roles to see which works for you.
REPORT: Sarah Wright
