The first parkrun related post in 2024 isn’t from me but from somebody else that does get a mention in this journey
That’s what you call an impressive time improvement!
Whilst doing some research for our trip to Australia I made an amazing discovery about junior parkrun locations in the country
This was a major game changer for us as we thought the nearest junior event was much further away for us.
Happiness soon changed though
However, parkrun Australia have given us the impression that we can apply, so we are trying our hardest. Just need to get some clarification on what documents are needed to get a “Customer Reference Number from the Queensland Department of transport as that is the first step required to get a blue card. Good job we have someone in Queensland to ask questions for us, as the 10 hour time difference is proving difficult.
I’m fairly sure I have said it several times but it seems we really do live in a small world.
The whole sequence of communications went as follows
As a result of this we decided that the Z wasn’t that important to us so we have decided to go along to our hosts event instead
By the end of the month a little bit more planning had gone into my v1000 plans I just needed agreement from Forest Rec juniors for the 999 plans on June 16th.
On the same day the parkrun Calander had ticked over enough to confirm to the world that I would be RD at Ipswich QLD and therefore I would be completing the Ipswich parkrun RD double when we were on holiday to Australia.
By month end and after some consideration, Hilary and I decided that despite the real unlikelihood of success we were still going to apply for the Australian Blue card. However, before getting a card, for the state of Queensland we needed to get a Customer Reference number (CRN) which required us to send 3 items of proof of who we were, however, other than Passport and debit/credit card details, all the suggested documents that were acceptable were for residents.
Due to the time difference and a National holiday, even Darren (our Queensland friend) was having trouble getting an answer. After 2 days of trying the best advice he was given, which he passed on to us, was as follows,
We chose to take a risk though and decided to use our driving licence as the third piece of documentation. On 31st January we dispatched the paperwork and on February 1st all the paperwork left the UK
The saga was still a long way from being resolved!!
Meanwhile, It didn’t take too long to receive confirmation from the team at Forest Rec juniors for my 999 event
By the middle of the month the v1000 planning had been plotted and I knew exactly what events were going to be part of the countdown
You will notice Forest Rec juniors are down for 3. The 999 event already mentioned, plus the fantastic Amelia had said I could be the volunteer coordinator for them whilst in Australia to ensure I could keep my v1k plans on schedule.
With no cancellations by mid February I was becoming a lot more confident that June 22nd was going to go ahead so I put the following post on FB so that everybody knew what was going on, as I had started to see posts from people about other plans.
In addition on February 21st I created a FB event and invited 131 people along. There will be a general invite to all the local event (Ipswich, Kesgrave and Felixstowe) participants nearer the actual event.
The 21st was also the day that a very important email arrived.
We finally had a CRN for Queensland, meaning we could apply for a Blue Card! We both did this straight away. Which lead to the next stumbling boxes.
Stumbling box 1 – The Transport and Main Roads department hadn’t loaded up my picture onto the system which prevented me from completing the first stage in the Blue card application process. Fortunately the helpdesk opened at 08:00 in the morning, which was 22:00 in the UK, so I was able to overcome this issue online before going to bed and got an email confirming the correction shortly afterwards.
Stumbling box 2 - Looking ahead I noticed that parkland Australia required a copy of the Queensland blue card to be uploaded to their portal before volunteering, however, for some of the states you can upload the email confirmation. To help speed up the process I checked with them whether the approval email would be enough?
Stumbling box 3 - part of the process requires the organisation that you will be volunteering with, to validate your application. We therefore sent a separate email to parkrun Australia
The following FB post gave an update on the process
And so the waiting game started again.
We got validated by parkrun Australia (tick to stumbling box 3) and got this email from them with regards stumbling block 2
Whilst disappointing, also totally understandable.
Not being the type of person to just sit around and wait for the outcome I decided to send an email to the Queensland depart dealing with the application to try and speed up the process.
The response was very swift, but also a bit disappointing
However, that’s the process so we both responded. The next response was also very quick
Absolutely fantastic news. Now we wait for the cards to actually arrive.
Having gone through the process I wondered if any other non residents have applied for a Blue Badge and asked the Australian team. The response was
Which isn’t surprising given how tough the process is.
So now we were once again playing a waiting game.
On the Wednesday of our first week in Australia I sent an email to find out the latest time we needed to submit our Blue card details to make sure we could volunteer on our first Sunday.
The reply came on the Thursday morning, giving full clarification and also a bit more information about the whole process.
On Friday 8th March, with just 1 hour and 40 minutes left, we received the message we had been waiting to receive.
It is really hard to express how delighted we were to receive this. The whole journey had been difficult yet somehow our perseverance had paid off.
We added our detail to the database and within 70 minutes we had received the email reminder for Des Connor junior parkrun.
Later that evening we physically had our Blue badges
This leads on to setting the earliest alarm ever for a parkrun
This was in order to arrive at the event by approximately 06:15 ready for a 07:00 start. Despite the early start it was still ridiculously hot.
Our first task though was getting a picture in the selfie frame just to prove we had been there.
Just before the start I delivered the standard run brief
Rolled my way to the start line, gave the timekeeper a warning about the star routine I was utilising. Said 3 – 2 – Go and we were off.
A video of the start is available here https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1417173195851418
Towards the end of the run an old parkrun friend Glen Turner arrived.
I have known Glen since 2012 when I “trained” him all things parkrun when he was looking to start Gladstone parkrun in Dollis Hill. After a spell working for HQ he returned to Australia and is current Head of Communications and Health & Wellbeing at parkrun Asia Pacific. On his own FB timeline, he added the following
My final thoughts on the day are summed up in a FB post to the event
Which leads nicely on to our first junior experience outside the UK. Des Connor Park juniors was the event and there were 34 volunteers in total with most of them in the following picture.
This is easily the largest junior event in Australia and on the day 313 juniors completed the course. It is very difficult to describe the occasion so instead I will just show the comment I posted on the events Facebook page.
For our second Saturday in Australia we went along to our Airbnb’s host event as he is ED there. We even got a mention in their post event Facebook post
On the Sunday it was another fantastic junior day at Des Connor Park juniors with a new all time Australian junior parkrun record attendance with 359 juniors.
I was one of the early marshals and it is difficult to describe how that many children running towards you both looks and feels. As I was also in the finishing straight I was getting lots of high fives. This can lead to some numbness in your hand when 200+ kids want their “energy boosts”. The stats for the two weeks were as follows
Following the run, both Hilary and I were interviewed for the Australian pod all about parkrun
A copy of the interview can be found in the full recording here https://parkrunadventurers.podbean.com/e/episode-374-details-details/
Saturday 23rd March and we finally found out the colour for the 1000 milestone tee shirt
At the start of April, a very surprising email was received
Before being able to accept the invite I needed to check whether Hilary would also be able to attend as my Carer as there is no way that I would be going on my own. It was confirmed that would be fine.
Further information was received the following week
And eventually the official invitation was received
Hilary also received her invitation and we responded in the positive fairly quickly. We thought we would also see whether we could take advantage of the parking in Downing Street. Confirmation came back to say a parking spot was to be allocated
As the invitation said “In attendance will be parkrun staff, Trustees, Ambassadors, Volunteers, partners and those who have made a significant contribution to parkrun over the past 20 years” when the invitation list arrived, the analyst in me had to see where the invited were from.
In amongst the Staff, Ambassadors, Board members, Pioneers and partners there was also 14 regular volunteers, which made my invitation even more special.
The day itself was rather surreal. The journey obviously started with plugging 10 Downing Street into the satnav, however it didn’t find anything. Instead we typed in the postcode which gave a much better outcome
However, as soon as we pressed OK, text appeared on the screen saying “unreachable area”. Whilst technically correct, we had an entry pass.
We arrived a little early but still rocked up to the gate. From the other side 3 armed police officers (sub machine guns I would say) started approaching the gate with one eventually coming through and approaching us. Hilary explained who we were and that our names should be on their list. He took our driving licences to confirm our identity. The tourists were then stopped from crossing over the road, the gates were opened and we were directed in.
The car was then thoroughly searched before we were given permission to proceede on down the street to our drop off spot.
To further prove that we really had driven along Downing Street I took the following picture of a famous door.
Not many people will have a picture like that.
We also took the “money” shot of Hilary
Once inside Number 10 you have to put your mobile into a secure box so there are no pictures from inside, from me.
Whilst waiting for Hilary to return from parking I had a mini tour with my guide which included going into the Cabinet room. On her way back, Hilary knocked on the door to get in, using the actual knocker. The reception itself was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with people I haven’t seen for years and also to introduce Hilary to people.
For the first time I also got to meet Nicki Clark, the first person to reach the 1000 milestone tee shirt. At the time of writing Nicki had reached 1009 volunteer credits and I was on 983.
A mini parkrun took place in the garden and along Downing Street and I was on marshal duty just outside Number 10 next to Hilary.
In addition to the photograph I also managed to get myself into the video produced by Number 10
The final pictures from the day follow
First Nicki Clark, me and Paul Sinton-Hewit (parkrun founder)
Hilary and PS-H
The final picture of the day was naturally of Hilary and me
The final part of the day saw Hilary collect the car and then picked me up, almost taxi style directly in front of the famous door!
The planning for my 999 event at Forest Rec juniors had been going on for quite some time (late January) but nothing could have prepared me for how epic it ended up.
Having already purchased a hat whilst in Australia, I managed to get a second hand tactical vest from ebay and borrowed a pair of handcuffs from the grandchildren.
As well as all the regular Forest Rec junior team I was also joined by former event Ambassador Emma Shaw and HQ staff member Helen Hood.
Without doubt this goes down as the longest ever junior parkrun faffing as we didn’t leave the café until 12:30. This post from Facebook sums it up:
On the Thursday evening just before my 1000th, Hilary had somehow arranged for the following to be sent
Back in 1978 a 10 year old me was watching the Commonwealth Games with my granddad and Daley Thompson was on the screen. With a Jamaican/English heritage, this was the first time I can recall seeing somebody famous who looked just like me and that had a profound impact on me. Sport and in particular athletics has been a big part of my life and a significant reason for that was seeing the success that my all time sporting hero was achieving at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
I recall reading his book “One is my lucky number” and whilst I might not have been the best at everything, I was always giving it 100% because “that’s what Daley would do”.
After an almost two year countdown, on 22nd June 2024 we finally reached v1000 day. Once todays volunteer credit had been added to my tally I was to become the second person (but first man) ever to have reached this total. Not surprisingly this was all taking place at Rendlesham Forest. We arrived as usual at 07:30 and I helped set up the central avenue. For me that was the end of my usual assistance as I was sent away and not allowed to help any more. From 08:00 onwards I was in an almost constant cycle of “thank you”, “thank you”, “thank you” as more and more people arrived and were congratulating me on my achievement. As we approached 09:00 I was told to head to the start line, where I was told by Hilary exactly where I was to wait. Whilst I was expecting her to say a few words before the run started, it was only after I saw the pictures that I realised what had been going on behind me.
Hilary’s run brief (run long actually) eloquently summed up what we were celebrating that day and gave a summary of my parkrun journey. Eventually the run started and I was parkwalking along with Lisa Dalton and Trevor Burgess. As we went around I don’t think I have ever received so many fist bumps and expressions of thanks.
Towards the end of the run, where I could see the finish funnel, I suddenly realised what the team had been up to and figured out that lots of people were lined up ready to applaud me to the finish. I switched roles with Heather (tailwalker) and as we approached the final turn, I stopped in order to get composed and also to allow the other 4 participants to get to the finish ahead of me.
What happened next was simply unbelievable, I made the final turn and scootered towards the finish. It is easier to just show you the following clip than try to describe the scene.
I crossed the line, received my finish token, which was a record busting 195 and then noticed that not only had Hilary managed to get hold of the official v1000 milestone tee shirt, she had given it to James Kelly to present it. This immediately set the emotions to overload and the tears started.
The following post later in the evening, gave some background as to why this was so perfect for me.
After being scanned it was photo time. We started off with a mass “milestone tees” picture
Followed up by the all important full “volunteer tees” shot.
After clearing up, we then went onto the after event party/parkfaffing at The Wild Blackberry Café, which to be totally honest is all a blur to me, however, it was another major amount of faffing, which included an interview with Calum Burrell for The parkrun Adventurers podcast https://parkrunadventurers.podbean.com/e/episode-385-ice-ice-baby/
On Sunday 23rd, after a long period of time, I was interviewed by the East Anglian Daily Times about the v1000 celebrations
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24405703.rory-marriott-celebrates-1000th-parkrun-rendlesham-forest/ above the picture of Hilary and I is a cut down version of my approach to the finish. If it isn't showing my clip, hover over the clip being shown and click on the back button.
After a few days of reflection, I had the following to say on Facebook
The penultimate observation on the celebrations is that I made the Social media cover pictures for the two podcasts about parkrun – “With Me Now” in the UK and “parkrun adventurers” in Australia.
The final part of the journey ends with a post from parkrun itself
The article itself can be found here From parkrunner to community-builder: celebrating Rory’s 1,000 volunteering milestone/
Now all that needs to be done is to have my new logo inked onto my left calf.
That was where I thought this journey was going to end, however, at the start of August I received the following email:
It obviously would have been rude to say anything other than yes.
As we got closer to the event, some details of what was going to happen was released
This email clearly meant that we were going to receive a pair of the new parkrun trainers and I was also looking forward to listening to the panel discussion.
Things then took a major turn when the following email arrived
I seriously had never expected to be asked to appear on the panel, however, I responded in the positive to the invitation.
The day before the event I received an email giving a bit more of a clue about the panel
“Thanks so much for agreeing to part of the panel tomorrow at the Brooks event. I'm working alongside Brooks on the event so to give you an update on the Q&A...
Kenneth (commercial partnerships manager at parkrun) will be hosting the Q&A and you'll be alongside Chrissie Wellington and Hermen (bios below).
Kenneth will introduce each of you and then ask something along the lines of the following questions:
• Your experience of parkrun and what it’s meant to you over the years.
• We often talk about parkrun positively impacting people is there anyone or any moment who sticks in your mind that you can tell us about where parkrun has had a life changing impact?
• What you hope to see from the next 20 years of parkrun. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and any questions please do let me know”
Bios:
Hermen Dange is the founder of Made Running, a community-driven running club in Manchester that has rapidly grown to include hundreds of members since its inception in 2023. Hermen's journey to becoming a community leader is remarkable, having transformed his life through running and parkrun while serving time in prison. It was there that he discovered the power of running as a means of coping with life's challenges and building a sense of community.
Chrissie Wellington is a retired British triathlete and a four-time Ironman World Champion. She transitioned to professional sports relatively late after a career in international development. Wellington quickly rose to prominence in the triathlon world, winning her first Ironman World Championship in 2007, just nine months after turning professional. Known for her remarkable endurance and positive attitude, she set world records in the sport and remained unbeaten in all of her Ironman races until her retirement in 2012. Wellington's impact extends beyond sports, as she has become an advocate for mental health and fitness, writing books and engaging in public speaking to inspire others and working as head of health and wellbeing at parkrun since 2014.
As you can tell by their biographies, my fellow panellists are pretty impressive.
The following post on Facebook sums up the evening
During the socialisation period after the panel I received lots of positive feedback from several members of the audience about what I had said. This was also confirmed the following day from parkrun.
The v1000 story continued in October as an article about myself and Nicki Clark (the first ever person to reach the milestone) appeared in the final edition of the parkrun magazine.
At the start of November I featured in yet another work related publication, which was also about my v1000.
My journey took an unexpected turn on Sunday 10th November when I received a message from Lisa Dalton which said “Are you free for a quick chat/favour?”. During the chat she asked me if I was free to attend the “Active Suffolk 2024 awards ceremony” the following Friday as her husband had to be elsewhere and they had already pad for his ticket and dinner. After discussing it with Hilary I was able to go back and say I could.
Later on that day, my analytical brain took over and I started to believe there could be an alternative reason for the invite and I voiced this reason to Hilary. This was because I know that two of the awards are decided by a panel of industry professionals and are not available for public nominations. Because of my parkrun involvement and the late notification invitation I became suspicious.
On the day itself Lisa and I were dropped off at the venue by Hilary , who had wheeled me to my table. This was where too many coincidences started presenting themselves to me. Firstly, our table was right down the front, secondly, there was a “convenient” ramp for easy wheelchair access to the stage. After catching up with my contact from Suffolk County Council, he suddenly looked over my shoulder and checked with the person behind me if he was in their seat. They clearly indicated he was, as he said his goodbyes and the person replaced him. This was coincident number 3 as the person who sat next to me was a now “glammed” up Hilary who 10 minutes before was in her dungarees!
The fourth and fifth awards of the evening were the “industry professionals” awards. The first was a Lifetime Achievement Award which went to a man who had given a lifetime of service to football in the County.
The fifth award was the “Active Change Award”. It didn’t take very long before it became obvious to me that I was going to be the recipient of the award.
The criteria used for the award is as follows -
This award celebrates an individual of any age who has used physical activity, movement, or sport to achieve greatness despite adversity due to poor health, having to manage a long-term condition or dealing with significant hardship, challenges, and obstacles in life.
Examples of who could be nominated by industry professionals:
• An individual who has managed to fulfil an active lifestyle despite living with a long-term health condition or disability, resulting in positive change.
• A person who despite living with challenging circumstance has used physical activity as a way of coping
• A person that has been successful in accomplishing physical challenges despite setbacks due to personal challenges.
The winner is decided by a panel of industry professionals and is not eligible for public nomination.
Although there were slight changes on the night, the script used to explain the reasons I had been given the award were:-
“Anyone who is familiar with sport and activity in Suffolk has surely heard of Rory Marriott.
He was introduced to the concept of parkrun in 2011 and since his interest was piqued at his first event, he has inspired 1000s of people to run, walk and wheelchair their way around courses across Suffolk (and around the world).
Since he launched the 1st county event in Ipswich in 2012, volunteers inspired and very often supported by Rory, a further 25 events have been created, accommodating in excess of 3000 individual finishers per week. These include 17 parkrun and 9 Junior parkrun events and undoubtedly there are more being planned in someone’s mind.
In 2014, Rory was diagnosed with MS, which completely failed to stop him in his tracks and he continued to march his way through Suffolk ensuring that more and more people were offered the chance to be amazing, fitter and healthier through their weekly participation in parkrun events. Whilst now unable to walk unaided, his weekly presence at, usually, both a Saturday and Sunday event, his support, positivity and gungho attitude keeps people coming back.
Earlier this year he achieved the amazing total of 1000 volunteering credits for parkrun, being 2nd in the world and 1st male.
He hasn’t stopped, just because he now has the t-shirt. His continued activities alongside his chronic medical condition is a huge reason so many people just keep going – because there cannot possibly be a good enough reason not to.
Just don’t tell him he’s an inspiration, he hates it.”
Following the awards night I discovered that Hilary herself had been in on part of the deception. Active Suffolk had been in communication with her from at least a month in advance, although she insists, she knew nothing about the award!
During 2024 I completed 6 parkruns and recorded 106 volunteer credits. These were done at 7 events including 3 new ones (all in Australia), and 6 times I ran and volunteered. This took my run total to 132 and my volunteer number to 1056 of which 100 times I did both. These were completed at 135 different events.