Hello Everyone. Today is parkrun day, a free 5K event which takes place every Saturday morning all around the world. It is for everyone, slow, fast, able, disabled, big, small and everyone in between. Oh and don't forget about the super Mum's and Dad's who push their babies in buggies. You can walk, jog, run, run/walk, it's not a race, just a run in the park and loads of us here on Bridge to 10K do it religiously every Saturday morning.
Some of us may not be able to do a parkrun at the moment so until parkrun returns fully for everyone some of us will continue to take part on our own in a Virtual parkrun every Saturday morning called a (not)parkrun. Or if you are away on Holidays, prefer to run on your own, or do not have a parkrun close by you a (not)parkrun is perfect, please feel free to join in. Please post a little run report after your parkrun or (not)parkrun and let everyone know how you got on. The little run report can be done over a post parkrun coffee and treat/cake. (parkrun is all about the after run coffee and cake, and meeting friends old and new).
If you are a new graduate and would like to start, all you have to do is run, walk or jog at a parkrun or a 5K run/jog/walk (not)parkrun anytime today or tomorrow and write a little run report under this post. It's like a little community and it is good fun, sets you up nicely for the weekend. If you want to you can register on the parkrun website and you can log your 5K (not)parkrun. In fact you can log any 5K done during the week as a (not)parkrun.
For anyone whom has not done a real parkrun yet and if it is available to you, give it a try. It is the most wonderful community event. Saturday mornings will never be the same again.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you who ran in real proper parkruns and (not)parkruns. Happy running and have a lovely weekend.
Written by
damienair
Administrator
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi, I walked at my local parkrun today. Bumped into a friend doing it with her dog, so might have been a bit faster while trying to keep up with the dog. I was finisher 601, so no result yet. Just happy I can do it again.
Today was my first run in three weeks post flu! We did a tourist park run at Warwick racecourse. It was absolutely freezing! Nice out and back course with decent space for overtaking (or being overtaken in my case!!). Because of still feeling a bit sub par, I took it super easy with 4 mins run and 1 minute walk. It felt ok (apart from face freeze for the first mile!) and it was really good to tick off a 5k again, albeit a slow one that my Garmin hated! Now I’m planning on an afternoon basically sitting by a pool… I’m calling that recovery!!!
Thanks again for all your dedication to providing a space for parkrunners, walkers and volunteers to share. You are a total legend damienair ! Happy New Year and hope next year brings many happy parkruns to you!
Our parkrun neighbour! Probably a good call going there and not Stratford MissU, it was a bit mad and so was the traffic in and out. Glad you’re on the mend x
Oh thank you so much. It’s an absolute pleasure doing this post every Saturday. I love reading about how everyone got on at parkrun. Very well done to you, it’s really hard bouncing back again after the Flu. Ease yourself back gently. Well done too on your parkrun tourism.
Thank you and absolutely feel the same reading about everyone’s running, walking and volunteering. It’s such a positive thing,
I’ve now got the added complication now of having pulled a muscle in my chest coughing. Walks are still on so at least I can get out, Here’s hoping 2025 is a better one for illness and injury!
Parkrun posse today again as celebration of friends 60th birthday coming up on Tuesday, around a dozen running together then coffee afterwards, was a good morning xxx
This morning I ran at my local parkrun. It was my 209th parkrun and my 51st parkrun of 2024. I was not feeling it today and I had to take a couple of walking breaks. But I finished strong and did it in a time of 28:44. A sub 30 minute 5K any day is a good day. Happy New Year everyone and happy running.
I walked at Southampton parkrun today. It was a bit cold but I loved it. My Strava time was just over 53 minutes. Looking forward to doing it again on New Year’s Day, woohoo!
I’m glad you are still getting your parkrun fix by walking or volunteering while on the IC Mudita11 . Happy New Year to you and R. I hope the physio exercises are helping.
Parkrun number 60 for me & decided we needed the letter N for the alphabet challenge. So early start off to Nonsuch Park near Epsom, Surrey.
Slightly (very) ill prepared with choice of footwear, just wearing my usual road shoes but half the course was on grass so was a slip sliding run just about managing to stay upright.
Not the best time (36 something ) but happy to get round without face planting the ground.
Christmas Day parkrun was incredible. We had decided on Preston Park Brighton as was the only one taking place in the area. Somehow it attracted the 3rd most runners for Christmas Day with Bushy & Poole making up the numbers and I believe got a mention in the newspapers. So 1264 in total. The best bit was that the finish funnel had to start much further away so the last hill before the usual finish was a long queue with everyone chatting to pass the time.
Thank you damienair and all the admins for all that you do.
Preston Park must have been fun on Christmas Day. parkrun didn’t exist when I lived in Hove but there are so many in that area now. Yes I think any parkrun that is running Christmas Day and New Year events is picking up runners from other areas not running them. We went from 336 on 21st to 607 on Christmas Day. Far too many for our current course.
Happy New Year to you too. And very well done for your parkrun tourism and collecting your N. Wow 1,264 that was a very busy parkrun. Must have been a great experience.
Hi damienair, today I swift walked my way round Arrow Valley parkrun in the cold, damp, murk! I had token 483 but I see the results have me as 485 but when you get to those numbers I’m not sure placing is that important! A total of 493 participants which is pretty good for such a horrible morning. When I woke up I really wasn’t too sure whether to go or not but, as usual, I’m glad I did and as I completed my 97th run it gave me the opportunity to chat to someone on their first ever parkrun - another convert! Stay warm folks!
Not sure I’d get Dexy’s permission to do that TC! I’ll probably look towards the end of Jan and it being Southsea, it’ll probably be done in our usual 40mph wind! We’ll have to see how it goes….
Volunteering for me to today - trying not to drop tokens with cold fingers (do hold your hand out, open and flat, palm up - it makes it a lot easier for the token distributor 😎). As I ran my 50th on Christmas day I figured it was time I paid back again. I always enjoy it when I do. Volunteering as prkwalker on New Year's day too. That'll keep my conscience clear for a bit longer 😊
Well done that volunteer! I’m the same, I really enjoy volunteering - all the fun, without the sweating! Roll on New Year’s Day when I’ll be handing out those little plastic tokens of joy!
Good luck OGR, especially if the forecast rain comes to fruition! Wet tokens? Ughhh!With 677 to hand out today, it was a joyful team effort from three of us 😍
Yes I think you need an extra volunteer to ask everyone to hold their hands flat like they do at Bushy.
I was at the other end doing timekeeping today, but briefed two new finish token volunteers. One said afterwards that she enjoyed it as much as running.
Very well done Linda. I am volunteering and handing out the finish tokens on Saturday. I did not volunteer much in 2024 as I was trying to get 50 parkruns done for the year. Now that I've done 51 in the year it is time to pay back and volunteer more in 2025. I'm looking forward to it.
Good afternoon Damien and all, I hope you’ve had good Christmases so far.
To be honest, parkrun was a little bonkers today. Katnap and I were RDs and we, very unexpectedly, had our fourth highest attendance ever! 569 attended and it was all a bit chaotic midway through as the funnel backed up quite a long way. Thankfully everyone seems to be quite understanding as we’ve not had any gripes…yet 🤞Katnap has had quite a battle with the results as the tokens didn’t match up with the times in large chunks. Oh the joy!
I hope there is a nice long film I can token sort to!
Youngest kitten was happy though - not only did he get a PB, he’s now officially faster than his dad 😁
I’m sure a lot of people don’t realise all the work that goes on behind the scenes TailChaser , but most are happy to accept the results, and just be recorded as having attended. Another S for the sssnakes challenge. Took me a long time to sort after our mammoth Christmas Day run, and no doubt it will be as mad on New Years Day.
Looks like rain on NYD Dexy, so may be a little calmer? Thankfully we seem to have managed people’s expectations ok with lots of comms on FB. No missing tokens either which is a Christmas miracle!
Very well done and congratulations to youngest kitten on the new PB. Excellent running. And well done to you and Katnap for volunteering as RD. Hope you got all the results sorted out OK in the end.
Good afternoon Damien and other parkrunners, this morning was my 24th volunteer duty at parkrun, I was a marshal at Palacerigg Country parkrun at my favourite marshall point where I cheer on the runners twice, the first time when they have ran about 700 metres and turn right then they run 1 lap and appear from the other direction to also turn right with about 600 metres to go, I have to wait for the tailwalker and walk that last 600 metres with her and another marshall, at the finishing line today there was cake to celebrate one of the core team at Palaceriggs 50th parkrun
I wish you and UTS all the very best running for 2025, I intend to volunteer at Palacerigg Country parkrun soon which will be #25 and get a shout out and order a purple volunteer shirt
I got a email from parkrun headquarters thanking me for volunteering 24 times and inviting me to buy a 25 Volunteer milestone T-shirt after volunteering #25
No parkrun for me today. I'm in the far west of North Wales where you can see the Wicklow Hills of Ireland if the light is just right. Not today as like most of these isles we have mist. There was a parkrun at Pwllheli this morning but I was no fit state to get up early enough to drive there (30 minutes on a good day) and do a hard run on the sands.
But I did do a plodding 5km run this lunchtime. I encountered two cars and a cyclist.
I was slower but did do negative splits, completing the 5km loop in 32:47. Interestingly my HR was low throughout.
My local parkrun in Manchester doesn't do Christmas Day or New Year's Day (nor today due to lack of volunteers) so I'll be going somewhere else on NYD.
In previous years I've visited Watergrove (near Rochdale) and Pennington Flash (near Leigh) on New Year's Day.
Hello damienair and parkrunners. UpTheStanley was RD today so I volunteered for timekeeping. I was really pleased that , apart from one double-click on my part, both time keepers were in sync throughout and only a few adjustments made with finish tokens. No incidents apart from one chap who was helped over the finish line by his friend as a result of a recurring injury. He was determined to cross that finish line and get scanned, before arranging a taxi to to take him to minor injuries unit.
Our Christmas run was our highest numbers since January 2020, mainly as a result of Portsmouth Lakeside not being on. Sadly 2 incidents at that one, handled brilliantly by a parkrunning doctor and other volunteers. Most runners were in fancy dress and such a brilliant atmosphere.
I have been poorly again since Xmas Eve, but our son was here from London for a week and I was determined to do our first parkrun together. Doddington Hall it was, partly because the Grain Store is by far the best parkrun cafe of the 4 Lincoln parkruns and because 3 of my running friends were doing their 💯 there. It was cold and foggy, but no wind thankfully. Son’s time was 23.52 so he was hanging around a bit until I finished in 36.31, then off for a delicious brekkie.
Thanks TC, but, if anything, have deteriorated 🤧🤒Thankfully nothing planned for the next few days! Was lovely to go running with R though (and at Trotters on Monday 🥰)
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
