What I did next

[ArthurJG]

Warning: long post!

This forum was a tremendous help to me when I did Couch to 5k in 2018. I haven’t really posted much in the past year or two. Some ups and downs in my running journey since but I’m still going.

parkrun, especially at Montrose, quickly became my main motivational focus for running even though I did enter the occasional race too. I’m never going to be fast and parkrun has no cutoff time. In March 2020 I made an initial inquiry about the possibility of establishing a parkrun here in Arbroath. I got a very positive response from parkrun HQ, but two days later lockdown happened and there were no parkruns in Scotland for 17 months (apart from the northern isles who came back slightly earlier).

Getting a team together and raising funds when we couldn’t meet together was a problem but we managed. The local parkrun Ambassador supported us for many months even though for a long time he hadn’t met any of us and could only see the proposed route on video. There were ups and downs of course but we seemed to be pushing at a lot of open doors. Nobody wanted us to fail. The local Councillor was, and remains, a tremendous support.

What we couldn’t do in lockdown was train our Core Team in the key volunteer roles. That had to wait till Montrose parkrun restarted in August 2021. By October were in a position to hold a test event and there was talk of a double launch with our neighbours in Forfar at the end of that month. Covid-related administrative backlog at HQ meant October was too optimistic but we launched West Links parkrun on 15 January 2022. (Forfar Loch parkrun started a few weeks later due to storm damage on their course).

West Links parkrun will hold its 20th event on Saturday. I won’t be there; some friends and I are going touring to Lochore Meadows parkrun. The team at West Links is already very strong and very capable and although I’m Event Director I really don’t need to be there all the time now.

That’s where Couch to 5k and the support of this forum led me. Would Arbroath have a parkrun now if this forum didn’t exist? Mibbes aye, mibbes naw, as we say here. But Couch to 5k, and this forum, and the parkrun movement all have that wonderful inclusive encouraging ethos that allows us to benefit our own health and wellbeing but then share that benefit with others too, Never underestimate what your support can do.

[BrokeyNotSoBusted Graduate]

Fantastic. Have huge respect for the teams of volunteers that organise the parkruns each week but you must be proud that your committment needed (and probable headaches) to get one off the ground paid off. That's quite a journey beyond those first weeks of C25K. Bravo! 👏

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Hi ArthurJG, not heard from you for a while but congratulations on setting up a parkrun in Arbroath, West Links Parkrun, Douglas Mason who has run at every parkrun in Scotland made a video of West Links Parkrun so I know where that is as I went to Arbroath for many years on holiday.The parkrun I go to most is Dunfermline, next is Drumpellier where you used to run, my 50th parkrun will be sometime in July, but this Saturday, which will be my 46th, I'll be running at Drumpellier.

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

I’m from Coatbridge originally so go to Drumpellier if I’m visiting family but mostly it’s not a Saturday when I’m down there. Hopefully won’t be too long now till there’s one in Cumbernauld.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to ArthurJG]

There have been suggestions for many years of a parkrun for where I live in Cumbernauld, Broadwood Loch is where I run most of my runs, however, that place is not on the list for any parkrun despite the fact that there are two event races ran at that place, the annual 10K in September and the 5K Santa Christmas Dash in December, there are 2 places elsewhere in the town that might host a parkrun, the favourite is Cumbernauld House Park where an annual cross country event takes place once a year.

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

There was a plan for Jubilee Wood at one time but they seem to be going for Cumbernauld Glen now. Don’t know how far along they are: I think the funding is raised but sometimes that’s the easy bit. Because of the soft start policy they won’t announce a launch date far in advance. They quite rightly don’t like big numbers at the first event.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to ArthurJG]

Cumbernauld Glen would be very easy for me to get to, a short bus ride, the bus gets there at 9.15, a short walk to the proposed start, my daughter who lives a 3-minute walk from that park also mentioned to me that there was going to be a parkrun there soon, how soon????, the other place, the Jubilee Woods would mean a 45-minute walk all uphill to the start, so the Glen is the best place for me.

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

As I say they won’t announce a start date more than a few days in advance because they like to start small and anyone who has launched an event understands why. Unfortunately there are people who will travel the length of the U.K. just to get a number 1 on their event list so they keep it quiet to avoid new volunteers being overwhelmed by tourists at their first event. I think someone on the team at Drumpellier is involved so they will maybe give you a clue because you’re local but keep it local, don’t post it here or anywhere else online until after it starts.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to ArthurJG]

Thanks Arthur, I note what you said, I won't post it here, without mentioning any names, the man who organised the two events in Cumbernauld also had a big say on starting Drumpellier parkrun and is also involved regarding the Cumbernauld Glen parkrun.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

PS update, you probably know that neither of those two places will ever run a parkrun, however, there is NOW a parkrun in Cumbernauld, its Palacerigg Country Parkrun, I have now ran there two times.

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Yes I watched Doug Mason’s video. I used to live in South Abronhill so was within walking distance of Palacerigg and walked there a lot but it’s over 30 years since I moved from there. Definitely on my list but don’t want to overdo the tourism because supporting my home event is also important (and that was my view at Montrose as well when I wasn’t on the core team - I love parkrun tourism but never understood these folk that go to a hundred different parkruns but won’t do the same one twice - makes no sense to me.)

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Absolutely brilliant example of positive action producing a tangible result in your community.

People power at its very best

Many congratulations on your efforts and success.

[Oldgirlruns Graduate]

This is a post fantastic post ArthurJG! Huge congratulations to you for persevering with your parkrun plan, it’s a massive commitment to raise funds, find people to help and remain committed, especially over the last couple of years - but you did it! I hope we see your post on the parkrun website soon! Parkrun isn’t for everyone, lots of people who do C25K find they don’t really get on with running with a lot of people and prefer to carry on either alone or with just a couple of others. But for many, it becomes part of their running life - and C25K was the catalyst that got it all started!

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to Oldgirlruns]

Thanks OGR, that’s very kind. Not sure what you mean by posting on the parkrun website?

[Oldgirlruns Graduate in reply to ArthurJG]

I might have misdirected you ArthurJG - I was thinking about all the lovely stories that parkrun send in their regular emails and thought yours could be one of them!

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to Oldgirlruns]

Ah right thank you. I think telling my story in that context might be disrespectful to the rest of the team. I set the ball rolling but many other people have made massive contributions and I wouldn’t want to give the impression I was taking all the credit.

[CBDB Ambassador]

Oh wow!!!! So fab reading this, so thank you. My next parkruns are ca 45 min drive away, so I keep thinking of seeing if our local running clubs might want to consider starting a parkrun on some of our beautiful 5k routes we have in and around the town. So it is great to read! Who knows, maybe a couple of years ahead and I’ll be reporting that we now also have a Parkrun in town!

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to CBDB]

By all means sent me a direct message if you want any pointers. I’ll be able to help more if you’re in the U.K. than if you’re not. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do these things and if you go about it the right way from the beginning you can save yourself a lot of grief. Not appropriate to go into specifics on a public forum like this but my all means message me privately. In the U.K. at least, the answer to ‘why don’t they set up a parkrun here’ is almost always simply that there is no ‘they’ in parkrun; WE have to do it. If no one in the community has offered to set up a parkrun, that’s why the community doesn’t have one - not always, can be landowner issues or whatever, but mostly it’s because people expect someone else to set it up and that’s not how parkrun works.

[CBDB Ambassador in reply to ArthurJG]

Thank you so much, will do! Thank you!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate]

How great to hear from you again ArthurJG, it certainly has been a while! Another member of our class of 2018 - there are lots of us around. 😀

You’ve been very busy, clearly. The pandemic has a lot to answer for, but it’s wonderful that you were able to forge on with your plans, even if they weren’t what you initially had in mind. Go you! 👊

[Dexy5 Graduate]

That's absolutely brilliant ArthurJG. It does take someone with grit, determination and patience to get all the wheels working to create a new parkrun, as well as a source of willing volunteers. Being married to a Run Director, I know how much work goes on behind the scenes in between the Saturday events too.

Now I know why we haven't heard from you for a while.

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to Dexy5]

To be honest Dexy we had it easier than most. Covid was more of a petty irritant than an actual problem and everyone supported us. Other new parkruns have it much tougher.

[WhaleSongC Graduate]

awesome tale of persistence congrats!