It was a surprisingly mild and dry December morning at Frenchfield for the Penrith parkrun experience on Saturday December 16.
217 walkers, joggers and runners took advantage of the favourable weather to complete the 5k course.
The event was supported by a team of 33 volunteers making it possible. Event number 433 saw 23 first timers and 21 new personal bests recorded.
21 different clubs were also represented. Harry Lancaster of Eden Runners finished first in a time of 16:04. The first female over the line was Helen Wilkinson from Knowsley Harriers AC in a time of 21:08.
We enjoy celebrating milestones and Val De La Rosa completed her 300th parkrun.
She has completed the majority of these at Penrith and after a summer of touristing it was great to welcome her back for this milestone. I asked Val what it is about parkrun that she enjoys and she explained that it gives her motivation and she likes to just turn up and run with no pressure.
We also welcomed visitors Jamie, Laura and Clara. The family were visiting from Vancover before moving to Spain. The last parkrun they completed in Canada was Ambleside. Clara has just turned two and has already completed 20 parkruns.
December can be a very busy time and can feel overwhelming to many for lots of different reasons.
I almost forgot I was writing the run report this week because I was focused on other things. Finding a little piece of time away from the business can be really beneficial and parkrun offers this escapism on a Saturday morning for those who take on the course, volunteer or simply come to support others.
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.
