It might have been bank holiday weekend, but parkrun doesn’t take a holiday.
Not when there are visitors in the area looking for early morning exercise, fresh air, friendly people, encouragement from marshals and fellow participants, the post-run tea/coffee laid on in return for a small donation.
Run number 417 at Frenchfield welcomed 311 participants on a dry morning, each of whom achieved what they came for.
Which might be a PB, or a certain target time, or to just get round. Whatever age/size/ability you are, it doesn’t matter, first and last are cheered, applauded and lauded equally.
Thirty-six volunteers scattered to all points of the course deserve much praise for their presence and commitment.
Locals and visitors alike always remark how friendly everyone is, what a nice course it is. Oh, and it’s flat! They came from far and wide: Northern Ireland, South Wales, Exeter, Bristol.
Gary Wilcox and Anne Budgen were here from Cannock Chase – Gary for the seventh time, Anne for the sixth. Like many, they seek out the closest parkrun to their holiday location, and clearly enjoy coming to Frenchfield.
One of the real joys of parkrun is that the format is the same, wherever in the world it takes place, so you can go to any venue confident of how it works – just don’t forget your barcode!
