Saturday was my 250th parkrun! I’m not a particularly sentimental person, but crossing that finish line this morning felt special.
Factoring 18 months of Covid restrictions into the equation, it has taken me six years and eight months to get to this point.
In other words, I have spent 250 out of 348 Saturday mornings, pounding the paths of Frenchfield, or Keswick, or Oldham, or Whinlatter…..you get the idea.
250 parkruns, whatever the weather – from driving rain to beating sun. What has made me want to do something, that on the surface, sounds so crazy?
I’ve spent the last few weeks pondering this question. I suppose I have enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing the numbers tick up; those small weekly efforts have accumulated into a major milestone, but it’s more than that, it represents a personal determination, resilience, and being part of a community.
Originally founded in 2004, at Bushy Park, London, as a time-trial, parkrun has gone on to become a global phenomenon.
It is a community-oriented, volunteer-led, 5k run that takes place each Saturday morning (and sometimes a 2k junior run on a Sunday).
At the heart of parkrun is the volunteers that allow the event to happen. Without them, no one would ever reach those milestones.
Marshals who shout their support, timekeepers and scanners who make it possible for us to receive our weekly text or email detailing our time.
The run director who takes on the overall responsibility for our safety and enjoyment, and pacers who are there to help us aim for a certain time.
My milestone is not an individual achievement, it has been supported by the wider community: Andrew R, Andrew H, Robbo, Alan, Caz, Dave, Mike, Syd, Ann, Sally, Ruth, Judith, Phoebe, just to name a few.
I was introduced to parkrun through my (now) husband, Garry. He was already a keen runner, and at that time, was living in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
My very first parkrun was at Chadderton Park, near Oldham. It was four laps around a fairly varied park, but it was still 5k and it was tough going.
Subsequent parkruns centred around Manchester, and it was interesting to get out there and discover areas that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
If anyone is interested, there is a 5k app that tracks your parkruns and offers challenges such as Stopwatch Bingo, and the A-Z challenge, where you aim to complete a parkrun starting with each letter of the alphabet (except X – there aren’t any beginning with an X).
For those with a determined mind, this could mean a trip to Germany, Poland, or The Netherlands to obtain that elusive Z. For those with a really adventurous mind, you could even travel to Australia or South Africa.
Truthfully though, the thought of being on the start line for 9am on a Saturday could challenge even the most stubborn of minds. What I really liked the best, was going for breakfast afterwards; not just to eat (although it is a favourite pastime), but sitting down with a hot cup of coffee, a bacon buttie, and talking to a friendly face. It soon became a weekly joy, my happy place.
After Garry moved up to Penrith, we made Penrith parkrun our weekly date. Around this time, I started to find that I liked running longer distances.
Alongside my friend Michelle, we would deliberately do a long run on a Saturday morning, so that we could finish the last 3 miles at parkrun.
Those final few miles would be made so much easier with other runners and volunteers cheering us on.
There was also the knowledge that once at the finish line, that hot cup of coffee was waiting.
Never more was this true, than when Michelle and I started training for a marathon (Michelle’s 9th, my first).
Each week we would increase the distance we were running, but always finish those last few miles at parkrun.
We were regularly asked how many miles we had run that morning, and it was terrific to know that others had our backs and were rooting for us.
I honestly doubt that my motivation to run a marathon would exist without parkrun.
My 250 milestone is not unique, and in fact, I know of several people who are steadily moving towards their 500th parkrun or volunteer.
The parkrun online shop now sells merchandise for 1,000 parkruns or volunteers; that’s 20 years of dedication!
I’m happy to aim for 300 parkruns, and in doing so, Saturday morning parkruns will continue to tick up, for both myself and many others.
If you happen to read this and wonder if this could be you, then please come along and give it a go. Penrith parkrun is a friendly event that welcomes brand new and experienced runners and everything in between.
Don’t fancy running? Not a problem, come and walk or volunteer instead. We would love to meet you.
