It was a warm sunny morning at Frenchfield for the Penrith parkrun experience on Saturday and the 248 walkers, joggers and runners who took on the 5k course seemed to enjoy the weather.
The event was supported by a team of 29 volunteers making it possible. Event number 405 saw 23 first timers and 36 new personal bests recorded in the favourable conditions; 29 clubs were also represented. Harry Lancaster of Eden Runners finished first in a time of 17:30. The first female over the line was Rose Gilldaley also of Eden Runners in a time of 19:27.
Mark Wilmot a regular runner and volunteer at Penrith completed his 200th run in a time of 24:38, congratulations to him on a fantastic milestone.
Twenty-three people joined us at Penrith for the first time this week. One of those was Craig Hennessey who had travelled from Chester-le-Street in Durham to complete his 300th parkrun. Congratulations on a great milestone Craig.
In addition to the 23 people who visited us for the first time we also welcome regular visitors especially during the summer months. I caught up with Sharon and Graham Harrison from Gateshead who regularly stay in the area and have joined us on over 20 occasions.
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 your local parkrun and try some different roles to see which works for you.