2025 gets off to a flying start with the following article from The Independent:-
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/parkrun-running-5km-fitness-history-20-years-b2672102.html
‘Thank you, Marshal’: How parkrun became a global phenomenon
From humble beginnings in one west London park to thousands of destinations worldwide, the weekly 5km has attracted a millions-strong community of fiercely loyal runners and volunteers, and is even being prescribed by GPs to their patients. Helen Coffey charts the 20-year success story of running’s most inclusive event
Wednesday 01 January 2025 06:00 GMT
It’s a cool, crisp day – cloudy yet bright enough that the path ahead beckons invitingly. As I stretch, my breath leaving foggy echoes hanging in the air, I look around in wonder to see hundreds of others doing the same. Some are bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation, some are stripping off layers in preparation, some are chatting while setting smartwatches beep-beep-beeping to record their progress. Volunteers in hi-vis stamp their feet to keep warm, smiling and waving at familiar faces in the crowd. It’s 9am on a Saturday morning, and that can only mean one thing to the dedicated, loyal pack that surrounds me: it’s parkrun time.
Little could the event’s founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, have envisaged that such a spectacle would be taking place at locations all over the country when he organised the first ever parkrun 20 years ago. Thirteen locals showed up for a casual 5km jog in Bushy Park, west London on that first Saturday morning, 2 October 2004. Two decades later, more than 10 million registered parkrunners have participated, with around 300,000 people taking part in more than 2,500 events across 23 countries every single week. The event has even had a mention on EastEnders, the real sign that something has become woven into the very fabric of British cultural life.
“You have to remember that there was no vision or plan to make it a movement,” says Sinton-Hewitt. “It was only ever supposed to be one event, and it was probably very, very selfish. I needed this.”
The driving force behind the initial idea was turmoil in his own life: difficult relationship issues and a complex work situation had collided to create a “downward spiral”. Historically, Sinton-Hewitt knew that running was one of the most powerfully effective tools, in terms of both problem-solving and getting his mental health back on track. But more than that, he was longing for connection.
“I had the strong urge to see my friends,” he says, “and I thought, ‘what can I do to make sure I see the people I really care about on a regular basis?’” What emerged was a 5km run at his local park, every Saturday morning, come rain or shine. Anyone was welcome, and it was completely free – two elements that remain integral to parkrun 20 years later.
Even if the motive started off as individualistic, Sinton-Hewitt was clearly not the only person who had a parkrun-shaped hole in his life. Word spread – slowly at first, then faster. Twenty people showed up on the first ever Christmas Day parkrun, 30 the following year, 75 the year after that…
Yet marketing was non-existent. “I wasn’t under any pressure to grow; keeping things economical, keeping them practical, for the first 10 or 15 years I made the decision that I wouldn’t do a single bit of advertising.
” It was clear that he was on to something “really, really good” when people kept coming back – and brought their friends and families with them. Within two years, it was so popular that Sinton-Hewitt was being urged to put on a second event in Wimbledon; the movement had officially begun.
One of the quirks of parkrun is that you’re given a physical barcode when you cross the finish line, which you queue up to have scanned alongside your own personal barcode in order to receive an official time and ranking. This, explains Sinton-Hewitt, is intentional. “I didn’t ever want a running event where you just pitched up and left,” he says. “We could have made the finishing aspect of parkrun automatic. We had the technology 20 years ago. But we made a conscious decision not to do that, because forming queues means you need to bunch up with people, get close, talk to them.”
This community aspect, fostered from the get-go, has remained a fundamental part of what makes parkrun something much more than a weekend jog. Even today, with thousands of weekly events, the whole thing is completely volunteer-run – only possible because people are willing to set up the course, time finishers, scan barcodes or simply cheer the runners on. The most common phrase you’ll hear around any parkrun course is “Thank you, Marshal,” as runners vocalise their appreciation for those who’ve facilitated this Saturday morning ritual.
The volunteering side of things has, for many, become more significant than the run itself. “The big part is being around other people and building communities and getting a sense of friendship,” Rory Marriott, a 56-year-old analyst who lives in Ipswich, tells me. He’s been a regular participant, as both a runner and a volunteer, for more than 13 years; in 2024, he hit a major milestone, having volunteered 1,000 times. He also helped set up Ipswich’s junior parkrun – another arm of the event that consists of a free weekly 2km course for four- to 14-year-olds, held on Sunday mornings.
After Marriott was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, parkrun became an even greater lifeline. “The mental stimulation and social interaction makes such a big difference. For me, I’m not as sporty and active as I used to be, but I’m still able to get to my parkrun every week and have that chat.” He sees it as “so much more than just a run. It’s a real way of life that’s so positive; I’d say it’s almost impossible to leave a parkrun and not be smiling for the rest of the day.”
Jane Thorogood, a 58-year-old retired teacher from Aberystwyth, Wales, found that “volunteering was more fun” than running: “I got to chat to people, see everybody else running.” Having completed 445 parkruns and volunteered 393 times over the past 12 years, she’s set herself the goal of achieving her 500th parkrun and 500th volunteer event in the next 18 months – both on the same day.
She would say that she’s got more back than she’s put in, though. When her husband had a life-altering stroke in 2021, it was the parkrun community that helped get the family through it. “The support is just unbelievable – when word got out, within 20 minutes we had two parkrunners at the door. It’s one great big family.”
Inclusivity is the cornerstone of parkrun, according to Sinton-Hewitt. “If we focus on anything, we focus on including everybody,” he says. “That’s probably our primary pillar: making sure that everybody can find a home, that they can feel safe, that they can get involved.” He tells me the story of Elizabeth, an 80-year-old wheelchair user who was at risk of dementia. Her daughter, a regular parkrunner, introduced her mother to the Bushy Park event, where Elizabeth soon became a beloved member of the parkrun team: “Everybody got to know her – people high-fived as they went past her in her wheelchair with her little hi-vis jacket,” recalls Sinton-Hewitt.
Though it has the word “run” in the title, parkrun can be completed however you like – run it, walk it, or go around on a mobility scooter if that works best for you. The idea is to encourage people to get out and get moving, wherever they are on their fitness journey. And however you do it, you will never, ever be last: there is intentionally always a volunteer “tail walker” who is the final person over the finish line.
This guiding light of inclusivity has led to decisions that have hit headlines over the past year. In February, the charity decided to drop time records from its website in order not to deter new entrants who might think parkrun wasn’t for them. It wasn’t a huge change on the face of it – entrants continue to receive personalised results via email, while individual profile pages and event results pages have remained the same – but there was nevertheless a backlash from certain quarters of the running community.
And then there’s the culture wars’ biggest hot-button issue: parkrun has faced fierce criticism for allowing trans people to self-identify their gender, and been accused by some of “sex discrimination” against women after several female course records appeared to have been broken by transgender women.
Sinton-Hewitt doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of navigating these thorny issues. It’s “complex”, he says, “but in the end, I would say the primary reason that drives us is inclusivity, giving everybody the opportunity to be healthier and happier through activity in the outdoors and through communication and community.”
When he first created the reports in the early days, it was merely because he thought they were fun and interesting, encouraging a bit of discussion. Now, the whole game has changed. “Nobody is interested in the 17-minute club unless you’re in the 17-minute club, and that was such a small percentage of people – so why do we put it on our front page and throw it in everybody’s faces and make it look like this is what we’re about?” He adds that they “didn’t take a single piece of data away”; individuals can still access it should they choose to.
As for the transgender debate, Sinton-Hewitt says that, while he never wants to exclude anyone, he’s “troubled” by the idea of women feeling “undermined”. “I don’t know what the answer is,” he tells me, “But parkrun is absolutely not the Olympics. We should make it possible for everybody to participate in the best possible way. And one thing is for certain – parkrun will never, ever be able to check what you tell us your gender is when you register. There are 10 million people; we’re a very small organisation.”
For now, at least, he believes they’ve made the right decision. “Inclusivity comes first – and fairness, I’m afraid, is affected by the drive towards inclusivity.”
The social components, coupled with the physical and mental health benefits of weekly exercise, mean that parkrun is now even being prescribed by doctors. The 2,000th UK GP surgery is expected to sign up to the parkrun practice initiative this year.
One advocate is Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a regular parkrunner and volunteer himself. He’s seen the very real difference the event has made to some of his patients’ lives – and not just regarding their physical health or fitness.
“I prescribe it for different people for different reasons,” he says. “One gentleman in his early fifties was really struggling with his mental health – he’d gone through a breakup and lost connection with his kids. He was low on confidence and felt isolated.” Dr Al-Zubaidi ascertained that what he needed to feel less anxious was a sense of community, to feel like he had a role to play. “We said, why not try volunteering at parkrun? And week after week of being in that atmosphere and having people chatting to him, people who wanted to speak to him, was the medicine he needed.” A year later, the change in him was so pronounced that he reconnected with his estranged daughter.
“It’s like watching magic happen,” adds Dr Al-Zubaidi. “Not overnight, of course, but it can be a much better, longer-lasting prescription than antidepressants.”
With so many locations, parkrun tourism has become a thing, too – people try to go to a local parkrun event wherever they are in the world, or travel to specific destinations in order to complete one. Anna Hughes, director of charity Flight Free UK, recently finished the parkrun A-Z: she ticked off a parkrun starting with every letter of the alphabet, from Alexandra Park in Manchester to Zuiderpark in The Hague, the Netherlands, over the course of two years.
“I like doing a quirky challenge,” she tells me. “I became totally obsessed!”
“Obsessed” seems to sum up perfectly how most parkrunners feel about it. And though its founder had no idea what he was starting 20 years ago, these days Sinton-Hewitt dreams of nothing short of global domination: “Ideally, I would have it in every single park, in every single place in the world.”
Wherever a parkrun pops up next, you’ll be sure to hear some variation of those magic three words as you make your way around the course: “Thank you, Marshal.”
The next major part of my journey was as part of my sabbatical to Australia. Whilst there it was only natural to spend as many Saturdays and Sundays at parkrun events wherever we were.
The following are extracts from our blog that related to parkrun only.
University of Western Australia parkrun and bye to Perth — 01/03/2025
Saturday 1st March saw an early start as we left our Airbnb at 06:40 for an alleged 24 minute journey to the University of Western Australia parkrun. Although we had attended parkrun when we visited last year, this was going to be the first time I received a 5km participation credit. This event had been selected so that Hilary could get a U towards her parkrun volunteer alphabet.
Whilst I had expected it to happen, without doubt, the star of the show was my v1000 milestone tee shirt. With only 4 in the world and all of them being in England, this was the first time that the shirt was being seen outside of the UK.
Like an “A lister celebrity” the shirt and subsequently the back of my head, was being photographed from all angles.
Prior to the run I also finally got to meet the lovely Jodi Mazey
who I had been “chatting to” via FB for about a year and her partner Brenden Peel.
Brenden and I both have an unofficial parkrun club named after us. The Peel club is claimable by anyone that has completed/volunteered at a parkrun event in each of the 6 Australian States (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia) and 3 internal Territories (Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory and The Northern Territory). For those that don't know, the Marriott Club is for volunteering at 100 different events and must include both 5km and junior events.
Hilary and I both attended the First Timers Welcome before I put on my “PARK eROLLER” hi viz
and set off with 160 other participants. On lap 1 I managed to have a conversation with a lady that had been studying at the University back in the 1980s and on lap 2 I managed to catch-up with a gentleman who happened to be a Pom (from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset) that had emigrated over 20 years.
The course is a 2 lapper around the campus of the University. Of my 136 different locations this was the first on a University campus and it was an absolute stunner. If you are ever in Perth you won't go wrong completing this one.
I was interviewed at the end of the run by “The parkrun Adventurers” podcasts roving reporter David Messenger. I was the tee shirts mouthpiece.
To top it off the post parkrun faffing was excellent and you get a fantastic breakfast at a decent price.
Somehow or other Hilary and I have a tourism task to complete during the rest of our sabbatical and when we return to the UK. We were joined at the Faffing by Abdul-Raouf Mohamed-Isa - who was presented with a Spiderman cuddly toy with his face on. We are taking him (The toy obviousl) on tour with us and will be posting on a “ WheresSpiderAbdul?” Facebook page.
After a fab morning at parkrun + parkfaff we made a quick dash to return the car and catch our 13:20 flight – parkrun fresh as we were in a hurry! 😅
Can you believe we’re going to ANOTHER time zone?? 2hrs ahead of Perth!
Goodbye Perth, really enjoyed our visit! ♥️
Tropical Cyclone Alfred — 08/03/2025
As the week progressed the forecast for impact time/day kept being pushed back. By late Friday morning ALL parkruns for the weekend had been cancelled.
From North to South a distance of 428km and from East to West 180km. Approximately 80 separate events.
Ipswich QLD parkrun — 15/03/2025
Having missed our fix last week due to the Cyclone, it was nice to be able to set the alarm for parkrun. Not so nice to be setting it for 05:30, however, due to the heat, all events in Queensland start at 07:00.
As this was our second trip to this event and because I wanted to get a 5km participation credit, we had arranged to be a parkwalker and a parkEroller.
The course is an undulating two lapper with an out and back segment and a back and out segment at the end of lap 1 start of lap 2. With two long sections of runners going in opposite directions, it can be a busy course particularly with todays numbers, 275, which is the 2nd highest since the covid 19 break.
In regular tradition we went for breakfast after.
Des Conor junior parkrun — 16/03/2025
After 3 weeks in Australia, it was time to get back to what we love doing on a Sunday morning and get back to volunteering at junior parkrun. We had a slightly longer journey than we have got used to and was in the car and on our way 35 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time. At 06:55 in the morning it was already hot.
Once we arrived it was very obvious who, or more correctly What, was going to be the star attraction – the tee shirt obviously!
A fellow voluntourist, Tim Robbins, introduced himself, he was also on scanning duty and I had a picture taken with him and his troll.
Just a few weeks before we arrived, the event had set a new world record junior attendance record of 438 and as a result the team had changed the course to be a two lapper and this was the first week for the alteration. We were lined up about 60 metres from the start line and it was an impressive sight.
Just watching as the children came by was truly amazing and I even managed to get a few hi fives from the younger participants. Before long though it was time to start scanning. What followed was a seemingly never ending queue of youngsters waiting to have their barcodes and finishing tokens scanned. It was my first time scanning with the new Android phone and I was very impressed with it. Other than the bright sun causing a few issues it handled it very well. I scanned 102 of the 423 finishers.
During event close down and whilst chatting to fellow volunteers, multiple people were asking both me and Hilary (when I was busy talking) if it was ok to get a picture of the back of my shirt.
The following is fast becoming the default picture of me at a parkrun event:-
Somehow, they wanted the front of me in the next snap.
After the event we joined the main team at Café 63 for post parkrun faffing.
Here is a clip from the start
Frustrated junior parkrun volunteers — 20/03/2025
As must people will be aware, we are very dedicated parkrun and junior parkrun volunteers. No matter where we are in the world we will volunteer if we can.
In fact we don't really go somewhere that doesn't have parkrun, as that is part of our DNA.
In Australia all volunteers at junior parkrun are required to have a Working With Children Card (WWCC). We went through the process in 2024.
This is comparable to the DBS that UK junior RDs have to hold, however, in Australia, each and every volunteer has to be checked and then, "double however", you have to get one for each State and Territory!
Therefore we are OK to volunteer at the 2 events in Queensland but not the 2 in Victoria or the 1 in South Australia.
Whilst looking at the criteria for a WWCC in Victoria, we found a section in the Exemptions, that gave us some optimism.
As we have a check from our "home State" we meet paragraph 1 criteria and therefore should be able to volunteer on 30 occasions in any one year in the State of Victoria.
Sadly and frustratingly, that isn't how parkrun Australia has chosen to operate.
They have said that they "do not look at the exemptions per state, as they differ from state to state. So for parkrun, in order to create one policy that would work across the whole country, we looked at the strictest rules across each of the states, and used these to form the parkrun safeguarding policy that is applicable nationally. One set of rules, instead of eight."
Under normal circumstances I would consider this to be fair, however, currently there are only 5 junior events in Australia, spread over only 3 of the States (Queensland, Victoria and South Australia). It has been this way for at least the last 18 months.
A very common reason for junior cancellations in Australia is insufficient volunteers with the required WWCC!
It is very frustrating that we are allowed to volunteer in the State of Victoria as far as the state is concerned, but aren't allowed to as far as parkrun Australia is concerned. Where is the logic?
Cormorant Bay parkrun — 22/03/2025
Still not used to setting the alarm for 05:20 to go to parkrun, however, that is what is required.
As Mabel the dog was ill during the night, Wendy stayed at home to be with her, whilst Darren and Glen joined us. In fact this particular event had been chosen by Glen as he continues to get to all of the Queensland events.
During the week, Hilary had decided that she would just volunteer rather than tackle the course as her ankle hasn't fully recovered and the course didn't sound like it was forgiving. All that changed when the following post appeared on the events Facebook page.
Nothing like an introduction to a new event.
Once we had arrived, we made sure we got our selfie frame pictures
I was on timekeeper duty for the first time that weekend. In amongst the 35 finishers was a group of 8 from Yarrabilba parkrun who were celebrating a birthday and I had a very long conversation with them about my parkrun journey.
Hilary was out walking the course and says "Although VERY undulating, the view of the water was beautiful! It was pretty hot too! I was park walking and accompanied 2 lovely people. A lady doing her 2nd time at the event and her brother visiting, doing his 1st parkrun. We chatted all the way round which meant the hills and dips were less noticeable. The ladies daughter joined us after she had completed the course (2nd finisher!) and proceeded to register her uncle with parkrun so he could get his credit :-).
Although small, the atmosphere was positive and the RD had a supply of water and ice pops in an eskie (cool box) at the end which was a great touch!"
Following the conclusion of the run, we went for breakfast in the next town down at Tree Change Cafe, Fernvale, with Mark (the RD/ED) and Katelyn (another volunteer). Just the odd 2 hours of parkrun faffing before we departed for home. Got back just in time to receive delivery of my parkrun Adventurers podcast tee shirt.
Later in the day a couple of posts appeared on the event Facebook page.
Des Connor juniors — week 2 — 23/03/2025
Sunday 23rd March and we return to Des Connor park for our second week of junior volunteering. The forecast was for a bit of rain but they got that wrong.
We arrived by 07:30 and “signed on”. I was timekeeper for the run and Hilary was one of 4 Funnel managers. The team were also trying a triple funnel for the first time.
At 7:50 I made my way to the start line and at about 08:00 the run started. I made my way to the finish line. Whilst doing this there were a few drops of rain. First finisher crossed the line in just under 8 minutes and all was going smoothly. Then I clearly got out of sync with the tokens person and was required to add some extra presses to get back in sync (this happened a few times). And then the skies opened with an almost biblical downpour. Now timing and raining is not normally an issue for me as I’m under the scooter rain cover. That was not the case for me this time and I have now personally witnessed the impact of rain on a smart phone screen. As a result, the number of unknown runners was double the normal amount. I need to talk to the team again to fully appreciate the methodology utilised.
From a funnel manager perspective, Hilary says. “It was a new type of funnel system introduced today. Cross finish line then enter 1 of 3 smaller funnels as directed by Neil - I was effectively a 'funnel blocker' to stop the other 2 being used until needed :-) A bit like herding cats, but fun all the same - it worked pretty well at my point. The heavens opened and all we could do was embrace the wetness! Everything soaked, right through to you know where!"
Hoblers Bridge Reserve parkrun — 29/03/2025
Week 5 on our sabbatical saw us visiting our 4th different 5km event in 2025, which isn't bad seeing as we only did 3 new events in 2023 and 2024 combined.
Originally we were scheduled to do another event on our trip to Tasmania, however, due to a "mix up" (polite way of saying FUBAR by the event team at the original location) we offered our services to this event which was only on event 3 and they were very happy to include us.
We got to the location at roughly 8:30 and after letting the team know we had arrived we grabbed some pictures with the selfie frame.
Prior to the run we were chatting to a fellow tourist who was fully aware of Rory's history and insisted on a picture with him, which he obviously agreed to!
In a change to the normal, Hilary was on Timekeeper duties and Rory was a marshal.
The course is roughly a 4.5km out and back long section followed by a 400m short out and back section with a 100m section to the finish. Rory was positioned at the start/finish of the short out and back and tried to be as funny as he possibly could be and had a great morning of fun with the 212 participants.
It was a double up on timekeeping, which seems unusual for Aus, however I was told it had always been like this and the original Tas parkrun in Launceston does this. It was straightforward and enjoyable to see the runners/walkers crossing the finish. They had a very enthusiastic finish token giver outer! (shouting encouragement to finishers). Really nice event today.
Before going for breakfast another picture of Rory had to be taken, this time with the ED and one of the Local Event Ambassadors, who also happened to be the EDs wife.
Post event faffing took place at The Garden Table which is a cafe inside Glebe Garden Centre. Looking around afterwards made me glad not to live in Tasmania as I would have spent a fortune on garden ornaments.
Once the record book had been checked, Rory discovered this was the 100th different 5km event he has volunteered at.
Marriott Waters parkrun — 05/04/2025
As soon as we saw the name, this was simply a must do parkrun. In fact the only reason we were in Melbourne was to do this parkrun!
We left our hotel at 06:40 and were first to arrive at the venue. This meant we had first choice on parking spot and this is the closest we have managed to get parked relative to the start/finish line.
Judi, who we had met at University of Western Australia, joined us at this event along with her friend Jamie.
We took the now standard set of selfie frame pictures.
As she is working her way towards joining the "Marriott club" (volunteering at 100 different events Jodi wanted a photo that will be on her tee shirt when she joins the club in 2026.
For the entire event we walked and erolled with Jodi and Jamie and had a great time. Jodi's Facebook post sums it up better than I could.
All that was left to do was a little bit of photoshop editing of the selfie board image of Rory and Hilary.
Des Conor juniors #3 — 06/04/2025
Anther week at Des Conor juniors with both of us being part of the scanning team.
Another hectic morning with 342 juniors taking part.
Robelle Domain parkrun — 12/04/2025
Following 2 weeks of slightly later starts to our Saturday morning fix, the alarms had been set for 05:00 so that all our (Hilarys) dogsitting duties could be dealt with before we left.
A 30 minute drive up the road and we arrived at Robelle Domain in Springfield nice and early. Which was a good job for us, as the meeting point was in the lower section of the park. Easy jog down the steps for most, but for those in a wheelchair we had to go back on ourselves and around a path on the edge of the park.
Following our introductions we took out now customary selfie frame pictures (1 above and 2 below)
This was an incredibly friendly event with plenty of smiles and high fives. The venue is idyllic and even has a swimming pool, which looked like it is free to use.
Had a long chat with the Co-EDs afterwards. Due to another event they were going to, we went off for breakfast on our own.
Gainsborough Parklands parkrun — 19/04/2025
05:00 and the alarm explodes into tune to wake us up. Within 30 minutes we are in the car on the way to Gainsborough Parklands parkrun. On the original plan this was a trip to the 7th birthday of Gainsborough Greens parkrun that we had done in 2024 and the ED was the host of the Airbnb pad that we stayed at. However, due to complaints about parking and noise, the event had been relocated about a kilometre and had been renamed as Gainsborough Parklands and this was event number 8.
Rory was not best pleased when the Satnav said arrival would be at 6:37. When we arrived nobody was in sight but we wasn't too worried as we made our way to where we thought the start was, only to realise we were at the location of the old event. A quick trip back to the car and a rush round a few corners got us to the correct location with just a few minutes to spare. Time enough though for the ED David to notice our arrival and then to introduce us to the participants with reference in particular to our volunteering history.
Just before the start Simon Mackley, one of the presenters on the Parkrun Adventurers pod came over to join us as he was due to join us on our adventure. In addition parkrun Australia HQ staff member Mandy Oliver (Head of Event Delivery parkrun Asia Pacific ) joined us for a chat.
As it is still early in numbers there were a lot of participants so quite crowded in places. A good conversation was had between Hilary and Simon and a separate, but also good one, between Rory and Mandy.
The required Selfie frame pictures had to wait until the end.
A very long post event parkfaff occurred, close to the event location at The Whistlestop Cafe.
Des Conor juniors #4 — 20/04/2025
It was great to be back to a Sunday morning at junior parkrun following last weeks rain impacted cancellation.
We were both on Marshal duty this week.
With it being a Bank holiday weekend the numbers were down to a much more manageable 139. This is probably the smallest attendance at this event that we have been to. Didn't stop the high fives though :-)
Usual post even parkfaff at Cafe 63.
Varsity Lakes parkrun — 25/04/2025
Another week and time for Australia 5km parkrun number 8. This one had been selected so that Darren had the potential to get a V for the alphabet challenge if he joined us.
We arrived nice and early and eventually saw where we needed to go. To our surprise Robbie (from dinner) joined us. This was very convenient as it meant we had somebody to take the necessary Selfie frame pictures.
Rory and his v1000 shirt got a mention during the run brief which Rory still finds very odd. A quick stroll/roll to the start line and we were off. The course is an almost flat "T" shaped double out and back along the edge of the lake. As we were on Tail duties, Rory had yet another custom hi-viz top
As the event is in the middle of a housing area it highlights one of the big differences in Australian course layout compared with the UK as a fair proportion of the route is only separated by a grass verge.
It will come as no surprise to know that we went for some faffing after we had finished.
Bellevue Park junior parkrun — 26/04/2025
As we were still in Queensland we had an opportunity to visit a different juniors event.
This one is smaller than Des Conor, however, it gives the team a great opportunity to be a lot more relaxed (but still professional)
Hilary was on Finish tokens and Rory was funnel manager. Over 100 children participated and got incredibly muddy.
Very pleased to report that good parkrun faffing happened after everything was packed away.
South Toowoomba parkrun — 03/05/2025
It’s not often that a review of Saturday parkrun starts with Friday activities but that is precisely what is needed for the South Toowoomba trip.
After checking in to our motel we went of to do a quick reccy of the course before joining Robbie, Glen and several members of the South Toowoomba parkrun community for some pre-parkrun faffing. Boy oh boy did we faff, as we arrived at 18:15 and didn’t get back to the motel until 22:30!
Despite only being 10 minutes away from the event location the alarms went off at 05:00 and for the first time on this trip the trackie bottoms had to come out of the suitcase. We arrived nice and early at the event and were very quickly chatting with fellow early birds, some of whom we had met the night before.
Yellow tee was getting it’s usual amount of attention.
Although not a recognised parkrun milestone, Hilary received a big round of applause for reaching her 600th volunteer stint.
One of the unusual elements of South Toowoomba parkrun is their video interviews hosted by Robbie. Hilary had an interview in recognition of her vollie milestone, which sadly at the time of writing has been hit by the Gremlins and is still awaiting publication.
After post event close down we jumped in the car to drive to The Southern Hotel for post event faffing. Glen had joined us from his event and the buzz was very high.
The video interviewing continued and this time it was Rory in front of the camera. Just over 30 minutes of conversation on his parkrun journey so he was obviously being brief.
From Rory’s perspective this was his favourite parkrun of the trip.
Des Connor juniors #5 — 04/05/2025
We were back for what is our penultimate stint of volunteering at Des Connor juniors.
We discovered from one of the regular volunteers that we had been highlighted on the parkrun Australia Facebook page the previous day.
Both of us were on barcode scanning duties, along with 3 Duke of Edinburgh students.
283 children participated this week.
Post event faffing occurred at the usual location.
Rory has managed to make his final volunteering task timekeeper. He never learns.
Main Beach parkrun pilgrimage — 10/05/2025
Last week we said “It’s not often that a review of Saturday parkrun starts with Friday activities” however, that is precisely what is needed for our parkrun Australia pilgrimage.
It was a few weeks into our trip that Rory realised that his parkrun anniversary fell on the same day as parkrun Australia as both had started their journey on 2nd April 2011. However, we were already committed to Marriott Waters on the anniversary so we juggled the schedule and arranged to do our pilgrimage a couple of weeks later.
Having arrived at our hotel, early enough, on the Friday afternoon we took a quick stroll to the event location to ensure we knew exactly where we were going the following day. Using google maps, we roughly identified where the start was and made our way back to the hotel. As we were now facing the other direction, it was very obvious we were in the right place!
For the first time this holiday we had a Saturday sleep in as the alarms were set for 05:45. For the second consecutive week though, the tracksuit bottoms had to come out of the suitcase! We arrived at about 06:30 and were totally blown away by the incredibly warm and uplifting reception we received.
The usual selfie frame pictures were taken.
Rory’s yellow v1000 tee was getting more than it’s usual amount of attention and the back of his head (the better side) was photographed many times. The greater attention was probably a result of Main Beach being the original Australian parkrun and it’s participants being a bit more aware of the history of parkrun. This was very evident as Hilarys v500 blue tee also got a lot of attention.
Hilary was on timekeeper duties and Rory was scanning.
The course is essentially an out and back so we had plenty of time to chat with our fellow finish funnel volunteers, before proper work started. Amongst the volunteers was the highly infectious Keiko Sunaba as Funnel Manager, in my 14 years of parkrunning I don't think I have seen somebody who is so enthusiastic and happy, a hard task to achieve on the back of no sleep due to returning from the London Marathon. Every parkrun needs a Keiko.
After post event close down we walked/rolled to The Sunset Bar and Grill for this weeks post event parkfaffing. Although not the regular place for this (usual place still recovering from Tropical Cyclone Alfred) plenty of participants and volunteers were there for the standard third segment of parkrun.
There was also a very flattering post by the event on it's Facebook page.
And the remainder of the pictures
Bellevue Park junior parkrun #2 — 11/05/2025
As we decided to stay at Surfers Paradise on Saturday night we made a second trip to this event.
There was much rain over night and more expected which reduced numbers as well as it being Mothering Sunday.
Hilary was funnel manager and Rory was barcode scanning. 29 children participated and got ultra muddy.
Another good parkrun faff happened.
We do like this little event.
Cormorant Bay parkrun #2 — 17/05/2025
Unknown at the time, this was going to end up as our final parkrun of our Australia adventure.
It was another 05:00 alarm setting, although Rory awoke at 04:20.
Darren was joining us for he trip. The weather wasn't great with a lot of rain on the 40 minute journey.
As usual one of the first tasks undertaken were the selfie board pictures.
Hilary was on timer duty and Rory barcode scanning.
Despite putting on wet weather ponchos the parkrun weather fairies turned up and it was dry during the run.
Wendy joined us along with Mark, the RD, for a very enjoyable parkfaff in the next town down at Tree Change Cafe, Fernvale.
parkrun Australia — 18/05/2025
The Australia parkrun journey has come to a finish.
Here are our stats:-
18 out of 24 possible parkruns participated at – 11 5km and 7 juniors.
4 Cancelled due to weather (Tropical Cyclone Alfred and rain)
1 unable to attend due to not having a Victoria Working with Children blue card.
1 junior event we decided to miss as we arrived late in Brisbane the first time round.
5 times Rory completed the 5km distance - 4 times as parkwalker (eRoller) 1 as tail eRoller. Hilary completed 1 extra as a parkwalker
Rory managed 13 further volunteer credits 7 scanning, 2 timekeeping, 2 Marshalling and 1 time each on Finish Tokens and Funnel Manager
Hilary managed 12 further volunteer credits 4 timekeeping, 3 scanning, 2 Funnel Manager, 2 Finish Tokens and 1 Marshalling.
3 States ticked off - Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania
9 new 5km events visited – University of Western Australia, Cormorant Bay, Hoblers Bridge Reserve, Marriott Waters, Robelle Domain, Gainsborough Parklands, Varsity Lakes, South Toowoomba, Main Beach
1 returned to - Ipswich QLD,
1 revisited – Cormorant Bay
1 new junior event visited - Bellevue Park juniors
1 returned to – Des Conor
1 revisited - Bellevue Park juniors
1 pilgrimage completed – Main Beach
17 post event parkfaffs attended
2 times the photo picture for parkrun Australia social media
Countless – the number of times the back of Rory's tee shirt was photographed.
Okanagan parkrun — 26/05/2025
We didn't know it before we arrived, however, this was the very first Canadian parkrun so we have now made two national pilgrimages in 3 weeks.
With a sensible 09:00 start we didn't leave home until 07:45 and went with Deirdre so that she could experience her first parkrun. Upon arrival we were met by the RD/ED who had clearly done some homework about us.
Naturally it was selfie frame picture to start off with.
During the run brief we were given a very warm welcome and because the ED wanted everybody to see the milestone tees we were asked not to wear high viz. Joining us as tailwalkers were two first timer volunteers. Much talking occurred during the double out and back course.
As Rory was feeling a bit exhausted we didn't go to the official parkfaff but stopped off on the way home to get a drink and bite to eat.
This was our first event in Canada so we now have a 4th flag on our "challenges" profile page.
