It was a chilly and showery autumnal morning at Frenchfield for the Penrith parkrun experience on Saturday but that didn’t deter 200 walkers, joggers and runners from tackling the 5k course supported by a team of 22 volunteers making the event possible.
Event number 372 saw 20 first timers and 20 new personal bests recorded; 21 clubs were also represented. Harry Lancaster of Eden Runners finished first in a time of 16:03. The first female over the line was Robyn Beaty in a time 20:54 just 2 seconds outside her personal best. Congratulations to Bobbi Tyson on completing her 10th parkrun.
October has seen the launch of the parkwalk at parkrun initiative. The initiative is a reminder of Paul Sinton Hewitt’s original vision for parkrun that it should be open to everyone and whether they walk, jog or run they will be welcomed with no pressure or time limits.
Many people already walk at parkrun but the campaign launched this month is an opportunity to highlight the benefits that can be gained from taking part in the weekly event with no expectations.
As part of the campaign the new volunteer role of parkwalker has been introduced. I spoke to Gwyn Timson who was volunteering as parkwalker this week. Gwyn explained that she has been an advocate for walking at parkrun for some time as she is unable to run.
Gwyn has completed 66 parkruns and so she was keen to take on this role. She explained the role was about chatting to people and showing there was no expectation to run or finish within a certain time. I also spoke to Nina Robinson. Nina has completed one parkrun previously in 2014 but said she felt under pressure to run at that time. Gwyn had persuaded Nina to come back and parkwalk.
Parkrun events are only able to go ahead with the help of volunteers. 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.
