welcome to this week's newsletter
In this week’s newsletter we welcome celebrate Wynnum parkrun’s 1st anniversary, get our monthly stats roundup by the Professor and announce the winners of our adidas 50K member competition.
On Wednesday last week, the day after this newsletter was published with my piece about volunteering, I attended a conference in Brisbane during which one of the presenters spoke of a ‘volunteer rewards program’ her sport is using to attract and retain volunteers. In a nutshell, participants are being charged an extra $100 per year as a volunteer levy which goes into a pool in order to pay volunteers for their time. Pay volunteers? Doesn’t that make them employees? I was shocked that this concept was being held up as an example of best practice and had to bite my tongue during the question and answer time. But it certainly reinforced just how fortunate we are at parkrun to have such a dedicated and inspirational volunteer group led by our Event Directors who bring you your free, 5km fix every Saturday morning.
On Saturday I attended Wynnum parkrun’s 1st anniversary event and, although I have a calf injury at the moment, managed to pram push / dog walk my way around the beautiful 5km bayside course. Wynnum parkrun is of course Event Directed by none other than The Professor, Alan Burrell, and his wife Roisin. These two pretty much sum up everything that is good about parkrun as they are ordinary people (like the rest of us) who have done something extraordinary for their community and the affection in which they are held by the local Wynnum parkrunners was obvious to see. Well done Alan and Roisin, you’re amazing!
This week is the 13th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Where has the time gone? I was lucky enough to be one of the 45,000+ volunteers who were such an integral part of making Sydney 2000 “the best Olympic Games ever" and my guess is many of you were also involved. I still consider the 2 weeks I was in Sydney for the Olympics to be the best experience of my life (not counting my wedding, Jack’s birth and setting my last parkrun PB of course) as the atmosphere was just incredible, something words can’t really describe. I still find it interesting to reflect on my experiences in Sydney as this was the first time that volunteers were really visible and celebrated as being such an integral part of the Olympic story, the legacy of which is that concepts like parkrun have since grown to be global movements off the back of the passion of volunteers. Here on the Gold Coast we of course have the 2018 Commonwealth Games only 5 years away now and I’m really hoping that parkrun is going to play a role as both a legacy initiative and in supplying quality, experienced volunteers, so watch this space in the coming months.
Happy running,
Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)
Were you a first timer last weekend, or did you run a personal best? We would love to hear about your experience on email, @parkrun_au or on Facebook.
international parkrun day 2013
international parkrun day commemorates the launch of Bushy parkrun on 2 October 2004 and is now celebrated annually on the first Saturday in October. This year ipd is being held on 5 October so we encourage all of you to make a special effort to attend parkrun on this day to help us set a new global total attendance record which currently sits around 45,000 runners across 8 countries.
The theme for ipd2013 is #loveparkrun. What does this mean? Well we want you, the parkrunners, to tell us exactly what it is that you love about parkrun, and we want you to share it with us and the world via social media using the hashtag #loveparkrun. This will enable us to collate all of your messages from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc and use them to show the rest of the world just how great parkrun really is. And better still, our favourite video clips will be used to make the first global parkrun promotional film, so if you’re a budding Spielberg or Tarantino this is your chance to take centre stage!
What’s next? In the week leading up to ipd2013 (starting Sep 30) go to your favourite social media platform and type a message, share a photo or upload a video that shows the world how much you love parkrun. Just make sure you also type #loveparkrun somewhere in your message.
For example – “I #loveparkrun because it is the perfect way to start my weekend… fresh air, friends, family & 5km!”
It is really that simple.
So if you’re coming to ipd3013 on October 5 please join our Facebook event page and keep an eye out for further announcements in the coming weeks.
By the numbers...
Well the Prof has returned from his parkrun tourism in WA and is starting to crunch the numbers for August and September. Here is how it is looking from day one up until this last weekend...
Dusting off the old crystal ball I created a little graph to show you how things may look in 4 years time if we continue to grow at the same rate as the last 12 months...
No guarantees on exactly when we will reach 20k, but rest assured the Prof will be keeping an eye on this and will keep you all updated!
The other thing I was asked to look at was how some of the parkruns were doing in smaller towns compared to the regions and states graph we have shared before. Well let’s take a look at the newest member of parkrun Australia - Warwick. Latest figures record 15,194 and a 2 week average parkrun attendance of 101 we are looking at 0.66% of that number at parkrun - look how this compares to other regions, cities and towns...
Well done Warwick and Kingscliff - you are really showing us all how much you love your parkruns
So as we come towards the end of September and, in our part of the world, the warmer weather has arrived we wish you another great month of parkrunning hopefully in some lovely spring sunshine.
Professor Alan & Róisín from Wynnum parkrun.
all in for 50,000 parkrunners
To celebrate 50,000 registered parkrunners in Australia, adidas is sharing the love with 50 lucky parkrunners! Thanks to all those that entered and attended a parkrun over the last 2 weeks to be in the running. The below 50 lucky winners will receive a $50 voucher to spend in store. Keep an eye out for your email and voucher in the mail. #allinforrunning
Lucretia Lloyd, Steven Stanhope , Trevor Ross, Kim Pike, Julie Cox, Amanda Shea, Jane Shea, Katie Hartrick, Geoffrey Chappell, Cassandra Sheppard, Joanne Chamberlain, Josie Billeau, Liz Cooper, Roger Cooper, Katie Young, Jo MacCarthy, Ju-li King-Turner, Craig Schmitke, Dianna King, Tim Sutherland, Amy Hannah, Karine Hindle, Leanne McGuinness, Kerry Lilley, Anita Evans, Michael Hare, Glynn Taylor, Gary Bowen, Georgiana Hall, Cameron Hateley, Karlee Gooding, Jo Cootes, Jason Becker, Jane Luke, Marc Tuddenham, Soo Bahk, Daniel Murphy, Anna Hearn, Steve Bennett, Kylie Summerton, Nicole Giudes, Chay-Ya Clancy, Phil Downings, Carol Seale, Derren Shaw, Leanne Groves, Benjamin Jeeves, Leah Rosevear, Mel MacFeate and Athene Chariot.
Blackmores Sydney Running Festival - runPositive for FREE breakfast & to win $10,000!
The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is this Sunday and proud parkrun sponsor Suncorp Bank is getting behind us by offering 100 lucky parkrunners participating in the event free entry into the Suncorp Bank Team marquee located on Bennelong Lawn including FREE breakfast! To gain entry into the marquee, simply be one of the first 100 people to show your parkrun ID on the day.
Suncorp Bank also understands that everyone has their own reasons to runPositive – some for charity, others for personal achievement or to spend time with loved ones. Tell Suncorp Bank what inspires you to runPositive and go into the draw to win $10,000. Click here for more information.
Musings From Merimbula by Donella Roberts
Here in Merimbula we had our trial run on Saturday in readiness for our launch on 28th September. Everything ran like clockwork (except the weather which decided to return to winter!). What I loved most was the feedback from our test first time parkrunners. One of them, Cassie, captured the essence of parkrun so well in a FB post - and confirmed for me why it was such a great thing to be involved. Cassie's post is below:
What a great day! Thank you for being such a supportive crew! Awesome fun was had! My 8 year old daughter Alicia ran like the wind and even beat her mummy! Such a great activity for us both to do together! Hearing the words “I'm so proud of you mummy” melted my heart. I love the fact it's at your own pace as I am currently in need of having a 3rd full knee re-construction so this is perfect for me as I still feel involved in something active! Thank you to the wonderful volunteers!
My Weekend By The Numbers by Terry Baker (a parkrun tourist)
Last weekend my life was ruled by the following numbers:
31 – My 31st wedding anniversary.
25 – My 25th parkrun.
4 – The number of parkrun courses I have run at.
3 – The number of days away from work and home.
1 – The 1st birthday of five30runners, my running group.
On Friday the 13th September my wife and I traveled 3 hours north of Sydney to Nelson Bay on the New South Wales mid north coast. We used Nelson Bay as our base for the weekend as there is accommodation for all budgets and your choice of food is covered by everything from fish & chips to caught fresh that day seafood. Not one chain store fast food outlet around.
Saturday morning we took the 10 minute drive to Fingal Bay for my 25th parkrun. Arriving at what I thought was too early a time I was pleasantly surprised as the flags were up, finish funnel markers in place, turn around cones were out and the table for the finish tokens was set up. These people were keen. As the start time drew close cars arrived and runners appeared from all directions. Instructions and information was given then some warm up stretches and away we went.
Fingal Bay parkrun starts by heading east from the start for approx 500 meters and then you turn around and head west back past the start/finish line. You then continue west for 1.5 k’s through native bushland. The trees forming a cooling canopy from the morning sun. The course is mostly flat with two small rises. From the second turn around you once more head east and pass the finish line again, so close but still so far. At the final turn around it is time to empty the fuel tank and go for broke in bringing it home, finally. Then all the runners are done, pack up begins and just like the morning mist by the time the sun tops the treeline parkrun has faded into the background leaving a pleasant memory behind.
If you are traveling in this area of NSW or plan to make it a running destination drop in on the very nice folk at Fingal Bay and receive a warm welcome from the parkrun community here.
Running For Archer by Dave Cleary
As a 38 year old, and non-runner for my entire life, what would ever make me want to join a social running group????? Whilst I love both watching and playing competitive sport (just ask my wife), running has never been something I have enjoyed or done well. About the furthest I have run in the past was the length of the cricket pitch for the local very low grade team I play for. 5km was a big stretch for me to even contemplate, let alone achieve! So how did I end up at parkrun?
In April this year our lives changed dramatically, as did our future priorities. In the middle of the night we took our 7 month old son Archer to hospital suffering from low body temperature and what we thought was a viral infection. But within 24 hours every parent’s worst nightmare had occurred for us. We had lost our precious little boy to mitochondrial disease; a disease we had never heard of but would soon learn plenty about.
After dealing with the initial grief and loss, our family has chosen a path to help us move on with our lives as best we can. We are now dedicated to help raise awareness about mitochondrial disease (“mito”), and with the backing of the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (AMDF), we will continue to raise funds to aid in vital, ongoing research, community education and family support so desperately needed in Australia. It is our wish that one day a family will not lose their beautiful child to this invisible disease.
This is where the running fits in! We put together a group of 140 to do various legs of the Perth City to Surf last weekend, culminating in 100 walking together in the 4km event. You may have seen us; we were the ones in green “team mito” t-shirts with 200 green balloons! I chose to push myself a little further, and with my memories of our brave little Archer in mind I signed up for the 4km run. To be fair though I’m not sure “run” is the right term... think more the Cliff Young “shuffle” rather than the Usain "Bolt"!!!
8 weeks out I downloaded the Couch to 5k app and started my training, struggling initially to run for just 1 minute without stopping. But persisting through the dark, cold and occasionally wet winter mornings I managed to get to my 4km goal and continued at this distance for the final few weeks leading up to the event. “Heartbreak Hill” was a little daunting for me but I can proudly say I weaved my way through the crowd and made it to the finish line in a personal best time of 22.57 minutes for 4kms.
With my mission accomplished I was at the crossroads. Did I return to the couch and lose the minor level of fitness I had just attained? As tempting as that was, I instead found myself searching the web for the next fun run event I could aim for. It was then that I stumbled across parkrun and found there was a weekly event in the next suburb to me. So on Wednesday morning, my first run after the City to Surf, I stepped it up to 5km for the first time ever and finished in a tick over 30 minutes. Being the competitive type, there was my next challenge.....beat 30 minutes!
Then on Saturday morning I completed my first ever parkrun with the team at Claisebrook Cove parkrun in East Perth. Expecting to feel out of place amongst maybe 30 or so "expert-type" runners, I was amazed to find so many enthusiastic and friendly participants and amazing volunteers there, 150 in total. The event catered for all standards and ages of athlete, meaning my “shuffle” and I fit right in. I found it tough going and had to fight hard against the urge to walk at times. I’m sure I used up some energy being an anxious first timer and in trying to pass a few people and keep up with others. But in the end I made it to the finish line, “shuffling” all the way and was pleasantly surprised to be met with the support, applause and encouraging comments of some of the other participants.
Having timed myself during the run I was pretty happy with my result but needed confirmation. I found myself checking the website relentlessly looking for this week’s results......anyone would think I was trying to break a world record! After what seemed an eternity to an excited first timer, but wasn’t at all, the results finally appeared. I have never been so happy to finish 88th in anything before, and with a new PB of 28.48!!!
At home we have started the dialogue about getting my wife and 6 year old son to join me each week. Thanks to parkrun we are hoping to turn this into a regular family fitness activity to start each weekend. Hopefully I can even get a new PB every now and then too!
I’m pretty sure I’ve caught the bug now as I have already been planning next weekend’s adventures around my Saturday morning parkrun! Friends wanting to catch up for 8.30am brekkie......sorry, busy then, how does 10.30am brunch sound?
Click here for more about Archer’s Story and mitochondrial disease.
Upcoming Event Launches, Anniversaries & Cancellations
Our 22nd and 23rd launches for the year are coming up on Saturday, September 28, in Toowoomba and Merimbula. Other confirmed launch dates include: October 12 – Berwick Springs & Kalgoorlie-Boulder; October 19 –Mosman & Gungahlin; and October 26 – Mudgeeraba, Darwin, Westerfolds & Bunbury.
Upcoming anniversaries include: September 21 – New Farm (2nd); October 19 – Kingscliff (1st) & North Lakes (1st); October 26 – Kawana (1st); November 2 – South Bank (1st); November 9 – Launceston (1st); November 16 – Albert Melbourne (2nd); November 23 – Sandgate (1st); and December 7 – Torrens (1st).
Feedback from the field
Si Ekins - May I congratulate you for your excellent recent comments reference to volunteering v running. It’s inspiring to know that so many of us feel the same way, and those words coming from you mean so much to so many. I have only been involved with parkrun since we started at Fingal Bay, NSW, earlier this year. I have never been much of a runner, but I quickly caught the bug and even convinced my two teenage kids to join me on the beautiful Saturday mornings we have here. My kids also understand the importance of volunteering, and we make it fun enough that they enjoy it. The enjoyment in all volunteers and runners alike is evident on our Facebook photos! Thanks again for your excellent articles, and indeed your personal efforts for this organization. We should all be proud of this phenomenon sweeping the World.
Amy O'Rourke - Well said Tim, another great article and strongly support your comments re: volunteer and runner roles / engagement and the joys / enjoyment of 'giving back'. Have a great week!
Jim Beisty - Well said re volunteers and reasons for so doing. I could not agree more that it is an enjoyable way of putting something back into parkrun and that is reward enough for the people who do it. A few minutes every so often at the actual parkrun pales into insignificance compared to the effort put in by the volunteers week after week.
Meredith Tucker - Totally agree with your comment in the newsletter “shouldn’t have to reward volunteers”. A volunteer is somebody who puts their name down to give. Giving is unbelievably rewarding in itself. Volunteers don’t need anything else. If they do then they shouldn’t be doing it. I wish we had more volunteers in the world, but I am sure if somebody volunteers at parkrun who has never volunteered before, it may just give them the confidence to do it elsewhere.
Michael Bannerman - Just read your bit about running / volunteering at parkrun. I’ve run 30 times and volunteered 3. I’ve got to admit I’m a bit of an ‘adhere to the plan’ type person, so when I started with parkrun early last year and saw the bit saying, “We just ask you to volunteer 3 times per year” I figured that sounded like a well-thought through plan, so that’s what I do. I’m a keen / decent enough runner so that’s what I am generally doing, but it’s simple for me – I do my volunteer bit because it helps things work properly. Having said all that, I just wanted to say that the way you’ve written your piece re running / volunteering is superb. Your thinking on the matter resonated with me; it was logical and supported various mindsets without putting anyone down – super job!
Liam McHale - I have been doing parkrun since April this year and love the feeling of getting out for a great run on a Saturday morning with friends which is a great mixture of fun and competitive spirit.
Simon Wells - Happy Birthday Wynnum parkrun. Thanks for the weekly motivation. Also a big shout out to all the EDs and volunteers for their great work over the year.
Geoff Russell - What a Super morning it was, super heroes, super run, just a shame about the super strong wind. Well done Alan and Rosin on a great year and a huge thanks for all their efforts throughout the year to all ED's and volunteers who make Wynnum Parkrun the best around.
Matt Archer - Congrats Alan & Roisin on Wynnum's first birthday. What a great weekly event you guys have brought to the bay. New friendships have been formed, and it promotes healthy lifestyle. Congrats to all the RD's who do an outstanding job every week it certainly a pleasure to run with a great group of people. I'm already looking forward to next Saturday.
Fiona Lodge - Thanks Alan and Roisin for starting up Wynnum Parkrun and for all the hard work and dedication you put in it is truly appreciated by everyone who attends on Saturday. I love coming to Parkrun on Saturday and have made some wonderful friends whom I look forward to seeing them every Saturday and also making new friends each week. Best day of my week. Thank you!!!! Xx
Karlee Gooding - What a great year it has been. I have loved being part of the Wynnum parkrun team. I have met some amazing friends and love spending my Saturday mornings down at on the waterfront having a jog, chasing a pace runner or walking my dog
Ronan Mac Domhnaill - We've just returned from a month in Ireland where my wife and I participated in a parkrun each week in a number of locations in Ireland. parkrun has been an incredible initiative and we saw upwards of 500 people taking part each Saturday morning. Keep up the fantastic work. It is a brilliant initiative.
Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.
Volunteer Profile
Name: The Caboose aka Maria Barker-Mott, Deb Khan, Anne Rayner, Steve Rayner and Ju-li King-Turner.
Age: 30, 34, 41, 56 and 59.
Home parkrun: South Bank parkrun
Occupation: GP, Occupational Therapist, Midwife, IT Security Advisor and Bank Officer (we're a mixed bunch).
Number of runs: 173
PB: 24:40, 30:18, 30:03, 29:01 and 29:07.
Number of times volunteered: 47
Favourite volunteer role: All of them, plus cheering everybody through the finish.
What do like about volunteering at parkrun: Being involved with a great bunch of people and the friendliness of everyone at South Bank. Also, being able to see the elite, the super fast and the fast runners from the front (as a Caboose, we know everybody by their rear ends). We really love seeing people improve week after week and coming in ahead of whole packs of people they used to run behind. And we quite enjoy the coffee and brekkie afterwards!
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: Funniest moment was when the wheel fell off one of the prams and Dad just picked up the baby and kept running. The expression on the bub's face as he crossed the finish line was quite comical. Most memorable was one of our earliest parkruns when the event crew slept in and we had 10 minutes to set everything up. It was all hands on deck that day - great way to get to know each other!
How can we improve parkrun: Have more of them, eat more cookies and drink more coffee. Perhaps create some team events for groups of people who run together, like The Caboose, and the many extended families etc who participate at parkrun. Have average team times in the way we have age gradings?
Reminders
Barcode reminder
Printed barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please click here to collect and print your barcode. No barcode = No result = No exceptions. To order your barcode on a durable plastic key tag as shown above please click here. #dfyb (don't forget your barcode).
No printed barcode, no result.
All questions answered
Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site
Volunteering at parkrun
We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.
Children at parkrun
All children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.
The parkrun Show AU
You can download your copy of the parkrun show Australia here. The parkrun show Australia is the free, weekly, timed podcast celebrating parkrun Down Under, hosted by Dave Robbo and Russ Jefferys
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