welcome to the newsletter
In this week’s edition of the newsletter we celebrate our truly wonderful volunteers. That is all.
This week is National Volunteer Week, the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia. Importantly, it provides us an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our parkrun community and to say thank you to the more than 1,000 Australians who volunteer each and every week to make our simple free, timed 5km run / walk take place.
The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is ‘Give Happy. Live Happy.’ We see examples of this at parkruns all over the country every single week and I want to highlight three of these that have impacted me in the last 7 days.
Firstly, for most of last Friday my Facebook feed was overrun by regular photo updates from Cleveland parkrun Event Director Liv Coop baking their 2nd anniversary cake. It started as a few layers of sponge and ended up as a multilayered, decadent masterpiece with parkrun flags and mini-parkrunners (see close-up below). Cakes have become a bit of a ‘thing’ at parkrun anniversaries and launches and we have seen some incredible creations over the years. However it isn’t really the cakes that amaze me. Rather these cakes are a metaphor for the pride and love that people like Liv feel towards their parkrun event. They know that by making the cake they are giving happiness and therefore being examples of living happiness.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend Cleveland parkrun on Saturday to celebrate with Liv, nor was I able to accept an invitation to Coomera parkrun where local triathlon club, Multisport Gold, was taking over all of the volunteer positions on the day. I love the concept behind days like this; a local organization or group fills every volunteer post in order to give back to the community and, in the process, gain some great exposure. Multisport Gold is headed by Alli Cook, an elite triathlete with 95 parkruns under her wetsuit and a sensational PB of 18:22. Alli is part of the furniture at Coomera parkrun, regularly volunteering herself, and is a huge advocate for the benefits parkrun brings to the community. She is a living, breathing example of the ‘Give Happy. Live Happy.’ mantra and Coomera parkrun are lucky to have her and the Multisport Gold crew behind them.
So if I wasn’t at Cleveland and I wasn’t at Coomera, where was I? At my home parkrun of course, Kirra! But it wasn’t just any old Kirra parkrun. I was there especially to pay tribute and give thanks to Laura Purdie who was Run Directing for the final time prior to going on maternity leave. Like many parkrun events, it is the Event Director and their team of Run Directors who are the glue that hold it all together. This is especially true at Kirra where ED Pete Sinfield and Laura bore the brunt of the responsibility for the past 18 months or so. Pete has often found himself away from the Gold Coast due to work commitments during this time so it is no exaggeration to say that without Laura’s contribution Kirra parkrun would not have been able to proceed on many occasions. As a Kirra parkrunner myself I appreciate this effort and as the GM of parkrun I find Laura’s contribution, and that of the many people within our community like Laura, absolutely astounding.
So in finishing, I want to use National Volunteer Week as an opportunity to personally say thanks to Liv, Alli, Laura and all of our amazing volunteers whose contribution is changing the lives of all of us for the better. Through their commitment to ‘Give Happy’ we are able to ‘Live Happy’ and for that we are all so grateful.
Happy running,
Tim from parkrun
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.
Essential Stats for Australia & Singapore – 09/05/2015:
Number of locations – 115
Number of runners – 13,486
Number of PBs – 3,051
Number of first timers – 1,929
Number of volunteers – 1,105
Number of members – 202,543
National Volunteer Week – Wear Fluro!
As mentioned above it is National Volunteer Week and to celebrate we invite you to wear fluro at parkrun this Saturday. Why fluro? Why not? But seriously, our volunteers wear fluro every week so by wearing fluro it’s a sign of solidarity and thanks to our incredible, amazing, dedicated and passionate volunteer community.
What inspires our Event Directors to volunteer?
Sue Maric - Relationships.
Rachelle Crawford - Helping to bring together 'all walks of life' and a sense of connectedness across my own community; seeing others achieve things they had thought were unachievable; being part of a supportive and encouraging group of people - people I may never have met in my normal day-to-day life had it not been for parkrun.
Glenn Crawford - Getting involved in the community and helping to bring something to the masses in a positive environment.
Sara Pixley - Watching the community come together in a supportive healthy environment. I love watching the interactions regardless of social demographic, regardless of age & regardless of fitness level. parkrun proves to me that there is good in the society & that WE can help spread some of it.
Nic Bailey - A love of community and a love of running. My passion for both make volunteering easy.
Michael Taylor - Because I got so much out of it I need to put back in. The short of it. 3 years ago my wife and I could not do 2k around the block. I'm 30 kilo lighter and doing my 3rd Marathon this year. My wife lost 20 kilo and has done one marathon and many half's. parkrun has been a huge help and motivation. My two boys are addicted to parkrun. One has put on his birthday wish list (a week away) "Do parkrun".
Scott Watkins - We've made far more new friends in the past 3.5 years of parkrun than our previous 8 living in Melbourne. It's a privilege to be able to be able to help others do the same.
Carmel Rogers - All of the above and so much more. And I will get to know the names of all those runners that are currently called Champ!
Bernie Larsen - Love of running and being fit and healthy...I want to share that with everyone
Aurora Susi - Spreading the message that getting active can be fun! I love seeing people turn up for their first time as walkers, and seeing them progress to run/walkers and then to runners - the sense of achievement that people get out of seeing progress brings a smile to my face
Bernard Mc Clement - I do it for the money.
Brendan Scollary - Seeing the joy and happiness that one of the most basic human movements can bring to anyone that participates in one of our parkrun events.
Shelly Ostrouhoff - Satisfaction of making a tiny difference in someone else's life and to encourage them to get out and be active.
Paul Wilcock - I wanted to do something positive for my community. Also obviously, the power, the money and the women.
Dawn Courage - It's less painful then running 5km. Seriously after relying on others to timekeep, umpire, referee, Marshall and , photograph me for the last 30 odd years it's been an absolute honour and pleasure to have a simple way to give something back.
Melissa Taylor - Best way to meet everyone and learn their names. I'm an absolute shocker at remembering names.
Robert Prentice - I like to be part of something I really believe in like parkrun.
Margaret Maloney - I enjoy the giving back to the community and most of all working with my great friend Tressa Lindenberg each week.
Craig Curtis - Volunteering at parkrun is like the ideal job, although there is no pay. I get the opportunity to be involved with a fun event, help others to achieve goals that they never thought possible and make new friends. At the same time parkrun allows me to combine a love of running with keeping my own family fit, active and healthy.
Ms Nat Fairyblossom - Really wish I could find a job like parkrun - really enjoy most of the roles - and not very fast so get to see the people who would ordinarily have left already by the time I get to the end. And I have "sucker" written on my forehead lol.
Libby Maxwell - Watching people achieve things they never thought they could. Being a part of something that changes people’s lives!
Renee Russell - The parkrun concept and the people - nothing too complex.
Bill Irving - It's the money. No, wait. That's not it. It must be the recognition I get in the community. No... that's not it either. I know, it's the kickbacks. Dammit, not that either. It's about being able to give something back to the community and doing something that I love at the same time. Best "job" in the world.
Neil Bath - Guilt and loneliness for me.....
Elke Watt - #volunteeringmakesyoulivelonger
Allan Connolly - Volunteering at parkrun is the best thing ever. As most have said you get to meet so many great people as they cross the line. When I do my pre event briefing I always say to everyone that you will enjoy it and after they actually do volunteer they come up to me me and say that I was right. Finding volunteers has become so much easier for that reason.
Wendy Legg - For the community, the health benefits, the wonderful success stories, the fun, and the sheer joy of giving xxx
Donella Roberts - Giving back to my community and running which both give so much to me.
Tony O'Connell - My original idea was that it would be an awesome thing to bring to our community to get people active. The number of people who stop me now down the street to tell me what a difference parkrun has made to their lives fills me with pride and an amazing sense of achievement.
Linda Jane Baade - It's great for the community, healthy people are happy and I love happy people.
Meg Dougherty - Helping people achieve their goals. My main reason (probably due to my work as a Physio / exercise physiologist) is health promotion. I love that parkrun is free and inclusive to all. It sends a great message about physical activity being about bettering yourself, not competing against others.
‘Hearts Across Australia’ by Gary Wilmot
This is a big couple of weeks for me; yesterday (May 9th) I did my last stint (for a little while) as Run Director at Canning River parkrun, this coming Saturday (May 16th) I will be running my 50th parkrun, celebrating with the many running buddies I have made through my parkrun involvement, and then embarking on a bit of an adventure, an adventure that includes the occasional bit of parkrun tourism...
After I have completed my 5km lap on Saturday, I will be spending a bit of time socialising (as we usually do), but this time will be different. This time I won't be processing results, or simply heading home to change, take a trip to the shops or wait for the parkrun photos to be posted, and the tag notifications to make my phone buzz all afternoon...
No, on May 16th 2015, at approximately 10am, I will be leaving Canning River parkrun on foot, running and walking up the Roe Highway, as we (myself and 2 support crew) start the biggest adventure of our lives.
"Hearts Across Australia" is a 5400km (approximately) run/walk from Perth to Brisbane, taking in key population centres, including Kalgoorlie, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle, Gold Coast, arriving in Brisbane on or before Sep 18th 2015.
Why do this? When I adopted an active lifestyle, starting in January 2012, lost weight, got fit and completed my first marathon, I knew that my life had changed. I knew that feeling so positive, having such a renewed zest for life, and having such a great outlook on life - it was available to anyone and everyone. One decision, one realisation that you are in control of your own life, and you can literally do anything.
After that first marathon, I discovered parkrun, an amazing community of runners and walkers of all abilities, and above all else a like-minded family of people who are reaching amazing new goals and personal achievements week in, week out. Whether it's a 5km PB, or building from 5km to 10km, to the half marathon, full marathon, and even running ultras, parkrunners are proving the benefits of positive thinking and active living each and every week.
In addition to delivering and proving the message with a powerful demonstration (my first time across the Nullarbor will be on foot!), we are also raising awareness and fundraising for the Heart Foundation, setting a ridiculously crazy goal of $1 million.
The two crew members are 22 year old lads from the UK. They came here to do a bit of travelling, and are now about to see Australia in a way that most backpackers and tourists never will; up close, personal, discovering stories, having experiences, and helping create a leaner, fitter, healthier Australia.
We start on May 16th, and will take approximately 18 weeks, averaging 300km per week. The plan is to cover 50 to 60km per day with 1 or 2 rest days per week. We also plan to take in as many parkruns as possible along the way, depending on location and timing.
For example, our planned arrival at Kalgoorlie is May 29th, then run the Kalgoorlie-Boulder parkrun on Saturday May 30th, and have a second rest day on the Sunday.
There's already interest online and offline, with parkrunners and non-parkrunners alike pledging to run sections, or to provide "escorts" into and out of towns and cities, Forrest Gump style.
The latest version of our overall estimated itinerary can be found on the website and currently looks like this:
Kalgoorlie – 30th May
Adelaide – 18th July
Melbourne – 5th August
Canberra – 19th August
Sydney – 26th August
Central Coast – 28th August
Newcastle – 30th August
Gold Coast – 15th September
Brisbane – 17th September
The aim is to document our journey online, and to spread the word via social media at the same time we are spreading the word on the ground.
Click here to read more about this epic adventure, to track our progress and follow along at home.
Hopefully we will be seeing some of you along the way, we promise to bring our barcodes!
#HAA2015
25-club volunteer t-shirt update
Our new 25-club volunteer shirts are still on track to arrive by the end of June, along with the 10, 50 and 100-club shirts for runners.
While you’re patiently waiting for these to arrive, you might like to dive into some fascinating facts about the production of these technical t-shirts. For example, did you know they begin life as little baby t-shirts then grow through love, affection and a well-balanced diet? Actually, they start out as pellets, which is almost as neat as baby t-shirts. Visit Tribesports’ blog for all the details and cool pics of gigantic machines.
Entertainment Books support parkrun
The Entertainment Book, and the brand new Entertainment Digital Membership, are your guide to the most popular restaurants, attractions, shopping, travel and more, all with valuable up to 50% off and 2 for 1 offers. Purchasing your entertainment book through parkrun helps us in two ways:
- Approximately 20% from each book sold is donated directly to parkrun Australia.
- If 5 people from the same parkrun event make a purchase the Event Director will be provided with a FREE Entertainment Digital Membership.
Click here for more information or to purchase your Entertainment Book or Entertainment Digital Membership.
#showusyourparkrun
This week’s entry is from Stéphane Breton who writes -
“I just came back from a road trip in the Northern Territory and had it all planned so that I would get to Darwin on a Friday for a bit of parkrun tourism the following day. You can just imagine my distress when I found out that parkrun was cancelled due to Anzac Day! Of course I do respect and appreciate that decision, that's not the point... And I know that my fellow parkrun addicts would be able to relate! Plan B was therefore to wear my parkrun tee shirt and have my own special parkrun event in a spectacular setting… Uluru! I got a bit carried away and ran around twice (20kms) because parkrun appears to have awoken something in me and I'm now preparing to run my first Half Marathon early June. So thank you parkrun, and thanks to all the volunteers that make it happen!”
If you want to #showusyourparkrun, please email a photo of yourself wearing some of the official parkrun merchandise or post it to Twitter / Instagram with the hashtag #showusyourparkrun
parkdog of the week
My name is Ralph, a 2 year old silky terrier / poodle. I’m a bit of a celebrity at my local parkrun in Noosa due to my volunteering exploits. My usual job is co-Run Director and timekeeper except on lucky occasions when I get to be tail runner! I am in fact so famous and important that on dog walks people often recognize me before they do my human (Sarah Deck)! So my advice to other parkdogs out there is “volunteer”. It’s bound to get your more pats, cuddles and perhaps even a 25-club collar.
Upcoming Special Events
Launches:
16/05 – Taree (NSW), Coburg (Vic)
23/05 – Castlemaine (Vic)
30/05 – The Ponds (NSW), Devonport (Tas)
06/06 – Ballarat (Vic)
20/06 – Town of Seaside (Qld)
11/07 – Dubbo (NSW)
Anniversaries:
16/05 – Roma (Qld) 1st, Varsity Lakes (Qld) 2nd
23/05 – Highlands (Vic) 2nd, Penrith Lakes (NSW) 1st
30/05 – Mt Penang (NSW) 1st
06/06 – Berrinba (Qld) 1st, Canning River (WA) 2nd, Sandon Point (NSW) 2nd
13/06 – Frog Hollow (Vic) 1st, Mitchelton (Qld) 2nd, Shellharbour (NSW) 1st, Newy (NSW) 3rd
20/06 – Carine Glades (WA) 1st, East Coast Park (Singapore) 1st, North Shore (Qld) 2nd
27/06 – Gladstone (Qld) 2nd, Logan River (Qld) 2nd, Mornington Peninsula (Vic) 1st
Cancellations:
23/05 – Warwick (Qld)
30/05 – Mitchelton (Qld)
06/06 – Penrith Lakes (NSW)
10/10 – Geographe Bay (WA)
Other:
03/10 – International parkrun Day
Feedback from the field
David Moss - Hypothetical Conspiracy Trivia: Is Paul Sinton-Hewitt secretly trying to reintroduce the distance unit of a ‘League’ to the world. A league is the distance a person can walk in an hour, roughly one parkrun unit. Or in a similar vein to the Olympics, did the ancient Romans really have the first parkrun and what we have now is the modern parkrun phenomenon? Just a thought.
Emma Mourilyan - CHOOSE LIFE... no better words explain what being involved with Cleveland parkrun has meant to me. It has helped me become stronger (mentally & physically), challenged me, introduced me to some fabulous people and allowed me to not feel like a person living life with a stick. Typing this with tears of gratitude escaping from my eyes, I can't thank Cleveland parkrunners enough.
Deirdre Stewart - My first parkrun was last Saturday at Albury Wodonga. I registered the night before and selected one close to home as my home parkrun - Cooks River - I'll have to turn up there one Saturday! I was in Wodonga visiting my niece so I went along to parkrun with her fiancé. It was a great run along the fantastic Murray River. Everyone was friendly and it was so well organised - it was great to see so many people out enjoying the event.
David Ryan - Congratulations to Kirra/Kingscliff parkrunner, Ryan Stoddart, on completing a massive personal achievement and along the way, inspiring so many parkrunners who have followed his progress. Ryan has just become an ULTRAMAN. Over 3 days he completed a 10km ocean swim, 420.2km ride and 84.3km run. Looking at the photos, he did it with ease but hopefully he takes a day or two off work for a well earned recovery. An amazing effort Ryan, aka Running Guy.
Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.
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 laser engraved silicone wristband 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
Children under the age of eleven must be accompanied at all times by a parent, guardian or other designated adult of the parent's choice. It must also be ensured that children place themselves appropriately at the start so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken. This is to ensure the safety of your child.
Our Sponsors
At Suncorp Bank we value the communities in which we live and work. From helping keep Australians safe from the sun to supporting what matters to the community through our sponsorship of major running events and parkrun Australia, we're dedicated to making a real difference in people's lives. Explore Suncorp Bank
building our future
Stockland is Australia’s largest diversified property group. We develop and manage residential communities, retirement living villages and retail centres – the building blocks of thriving communities. Explore Stockland