parkrun Double Birthday Report, 5th October 2019

parkrun review from the 15th birthday of parkrun beginning with just 13 Ranelagh Harrier runners and friends in Bushy Park, London. What a huge event it has become and so important in people's lives. Here's a snippet from the parkrun website showing it's early beginnings.

''We’re super proud of the fact our volunteer-led, free-for-all 5k and 2k events have been taken up by so many people across so many cultures in so many countries. Of course, it was a bit more low key at the beginning… Our first ever event was in Bushy park, Teddington, UK, where 13 intrepid parkrunners got together on 2 October 2004. The volunteer team included Paul and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt, Duncan Gaskell, Simon Hedger and Robin Drummond. It took nearly two years before parkrun spread beyond Bushy. Wimbledon was the chosen venue and we had to prove to ourselves that we could manage more than a single event at a time. This was the start of the ‘cookie cutter’ approach to events that would allow parkrun to expand. To begin with we collated all results on paper and the finish tokens were washers from the local hardware store! But eventually we ramped up the technology, and so the parkrun registration and barcode result system was born. Now many hundreds of thousands of parkrunners are processed, websites updated and millions of emails sent each week. The parkrun community is growing all the time – but it’s all still based on the simple, basic principles formed from the start: weekly, free, 5k, for everyone, forever.''

A massive total of 1042 runners took part at Southampton parkrun event #378

Position ↓ Gender Position ↓ parkrunner ↓ Club ↓ Run Time ↓

1 1 Ollie HURDLE Southampton University Triathlon Club 00:17:01

26 1 Gemma RUSSHARD Lymington Triathlon Club 00:18:45

911 344 Kirsty-Jo WILLIAMS Baffins Fitclub 00:36:28

A total of 95 runners took part at Queen Elizabeth parkrun event #339. Looks like Carol was volunteering as tail-walker.

Position ↓ Gender Position ↓ parkrunner ↓ Club ↓ Run Time ↓

1 1 Toby LAMBERT Winchester and District AC 00:15:28

8 1 Sarah HALL Invicta East Kent AC 00:23:14

95 35 Carol CARBERRY Baffins Fitclub 01:05:01

A total of 113 runners took part at Aldenham parkrun event #224. Warren Barker was back at his hometown run in Herts.

Position ↓ Gender Position ↓ parkrunner ↓ Club ↓ Run Time ↓

1 1 Philip MCCULLOCH Unattached 00:18:51

14 14 Warren BARKER Baffins Fitclub 00:23:22

16 1 Ally DRAKE Unattached 00:24:01

A total of 313 runners took part at Portsmouth Lakeside parkrun event #179

Position ↓ Gender Position ↓ parkrunner ↓ Club ↓ Run Time ↓

1 1 Conrad YOUNG Unattached 00:18:21

10 10 Sonny LOCKE Baffins Fitclub 00:19:52

12 1 Rowena BARKER Unattached 00:20:15

115 98 Lee COLLIER-WILLIAMS Baffins Fitclub 00:27:41

200 143 Joshua MCPHEAT Baffins Fitclub 00:31:41

306 179 Colin EDWARDS Baffins Fitclub 00:58:18

Finally, a total of 395 runners took part at Southsea parkrun event #316 which just happens to be Southsea's 6th birthday. For those newer to parkrun, the pioneers at Southsea who spent nearly 2 years setting it up and getting the Council on board, included Paul Tilley, Andy Seek, Grant Day and David Aldred, all of whom are still seen regularly as running or as Run Directors. Many thanks guys.

Kam Fan, David Sharp, Rebecca Niles (back to form), Debbie Keenan Brookes, Fiona Shaw, Vicky Anderson (less than a week after her Berlin Marathon) and Jackie Jacqueline Ladd were all very close to their PBs. Many were taking it a bit easier due to various races the following day such as the RNLI 10k, Pieces of 8 and the Chichester Half, but pride of place must go to Olivia Scammell who ran her 2nd PB in 3 weeks , 0:20 on 21.9.19 and now an impressive 1:04. A few of us paced her but she seemed determined enough to have run it that fast anyway. This was proved with her run the following day, but more of that in a separate report to come next week on the RNLI 10k and PO8 races. If you ran in any other races please feel free to write a report on the race, however short. We all enjoy reading about our Baffins teammates expolits all over the world!

Fiona Shaw was again placed highly in the age-graded percentages, this time 3rd at 78.03%.

Volunteers included Andy Seek, Esme Webber, Fiona Cfb, Katherine Newell, Kevin Friery and Robert Turner-diamond. RD was Esme's husband Elliot.

Position ↓ Gender Position ↓ parkrunner ↓ Club ↓ Run Time ↓

1 1 Damon HOWARD City of Portsmouth AC 00:17:54

12 12 Owen MARSHALL Baffins Fitclub 00:19:30

16 1 Sophie WEGUELIN Unattached 00:19:50

33 30 Steven PARKER Baffins Fitclub 00:21:30

88 12 Fiona SHAW Baffins Fitclub 00:23:31

107 94 Keith CAUNT Baffins Fitclub 00:24:27

108 95 Jason SMITH Baffins Fitclub 00:24:31

127 111 Paul HARRISON Baffins Fitclub 00:25:15

132 116 Kam FAN Baffins Fitclub 00:25:20

138 19 Olivia SCAMMELL Baffins Fitclub 00:25:32

141 122 Brett RUMFITT Baffins Fitclub 00:25:34

142 123 Gary COOK Baffins Fitclub 00:25:34

148 128 Kevin AYLWARD Baffins Fitclub 00:25:55

150 21 Rebecca NILES Baffins Fitclub 00:25:59

163 139 David SHARP Baffins Fitclub 00:26:50

170 28 Louise GRIFFIN Baffins Fitclub 00:27:02

171 143 Paul GRIFFIN Baffins Fitclub 00:27:03

206 43 Vicky ANDERSON Baffins Fitclub 00:28:22

269 73 Claire SMITH Baffins Fitclub 00:30:32

284 80 Tina MATHEWS Baffins Fitclub 00:31:12

340 114 Alice BIRD Baffins Fitclub 00:35:33

346 116 Jackie LADD Baffins Fitclub 00:36:11

354 122 Debbie KEENAN Baffins Fitclub 00:37:17

355 123 Sarah ELLIS Baffins Fitclub 00:37:18

372 133 Janet SAMPSON Baffins Fitclub 00:38:53

378 244 Robert BILTON Baffins Fitclub 00:41:39