First time volunteering at Abingdon Parkrun

[iain-strachan]

Here's me looking cute in my marshal's jacket!!

I must confess that I was a bit scared to run, given the heavy rain this week, and Abingdon Parkrun can be a quagmire at certain places!

So thought I'd volunteer, and get my Saturday running in by running to and from the venue (about 3km each way). So I wasn't lazy, honest!

Has to be one of the longest Parkruns I've ever seen! The tail-walker came in at 76 minutes. We really thought we'd lost her.

But it was all in a very good cause. There were about 50 women who turned up wearing colourful garlands (also several dogs wearing garlands). Turns out it was a 50th birthday event for one of them who had lost her husband last year to a heart attack, and they were doing it to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. The last person had hip problems and could barely walk any speed, so good for her to make it all the way round.

After that, I really NEEDED to run back home because it was bloomin' cold!!

Some day, when I get a bit fitter, I'll run to park run, run it, and run back, but not ready for 11 km in a day yet!

Parkrun is such a brilliant, friendly event. You almost always meet someone you know, or has a connection with someone you know. A couple of weeks back I had coffee afterwards with a woman who turns out to be a close friend of my wife. Today, I was doing the finish tokens with someone who worked at the same place as I used to (Harwell), who knew several former colleagues.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Thank you for helping parkrun happen by donning the sexy high-viz! Best way to get there too... I have similar ambitions, but my home parkrun is 13 miles away 🤣. My local one would only be 7-8km to run it all though.

I love the inclusivity of parkrun and you really see it best as a volunteer... that last runner/walker home is what it’s all about for me.

[iain-strachan Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I can see it would be a bit much to do a half marathon, followed by parkrun, followed by another half marathon!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to iain-strachan]

Thinking about it... I’m putting it on my list of runs to do... HM there and parkrun would be good in marathon training and would no doubt fit as one of my long runs... but then I’d spend the day in the office (somewhere I avoid as much as possible) before contemplating the run home!

[Madge50 Graduate]

We all love a high vis hero! Well done you, my favourite t-shirt is my parkrun 25 volunteer t-shirt, the parkrun community is just amazing, we have such a wide group of friends now, and it’s all down to parkrun.

Best invention ever!

Mx

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Nice one, Iain.

My nearest parkrun is 18k from home, so I have done as you did......marshal, then ran home, having been given a lift there. Both ways and a parkrun would be equivalent to a marathon, so not something to be done at the drop of a hat.

[iain-strachan Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Looks like I'm extremely fortunate to have one that's only 3km from my home!

There are quite a few others that are less than 18km - Didcot, Harcourt Heights, and (I think) two in Oxford.

[Coddfish Graduate]

Well done to you and to the charity group. Your journey makes me realise how lucky I am to live a 5 minute walk away from my home parkrun’s start line.