As I live close to Cutteslowe Park, one of two Parkrun venues in Oxford, I always leave it to the last minute before dashing over to the start line; in fact by last Saturday I'd done this last minute rush 99 times, and the organisers asked me if I was going to show up next week for my 100th run, to which I, rather wittily I thought, responded that I'd be too shy to have to step out in front of 200 or so other runners to get my fancy new 100th run t-shirt, and would come again on my 101st.
Anyway what I wanted to say is that on this particular Saturday - and it has taken me the 3 years since Oxford Parkrun began to reach the dizzy heights of being almost a centenarian - while I was chatting to a couple of cronies just before the start, I suddenly caught sight of a familiar face. And yes, you've guessed it - it was Sam, late of OISE Oxford office fame, and who I think were her two flatmates. All had chosen this chilly November day to make their Parkrun debuts. I had been joking with Sam for ages (i.e. virtually the whole of the 3 years) about running Parkrun - after all she lives even nearer than I do - but 9am has to date proved a little too early for her and her household. It transpired though that this time an alarm had been set and the three athletes from Jackson Road were - at last- assembled on the start line, ready for the 'off'.
For people who don't know, Parkrun is a relatively recent phenomenon. It began in a London Park a few years ago, and the format is so simple. Runs are always in a park, they're always 5k in length and always start at 9am. I believe this means local time, so runners in Melbourne will have long finished before we even think about starting in the old country. The other feature is that it's free: you just get a bar-code which gets clicked as you finish and so there's no nonsense about wearing numbers either. And it's very welcoming. We always give new runners a welcoming clap, and of course this time this included Sam and co., together with quite a few others. After the run Cutteslowe Park's kiosk is now open for a coffee (this is quite a new feature as the number of participants has gradually built up - I suppose 200 runners means quite a bit of potential business).
Although a few fast people show up, a really nice aspect is that nobody can be too slow for Parkrun. We have a lady who simply walks all the way, and we all give her a clap when she finishes. There is a tail-runner who always brings up the rear, and makes sure nobody gets lost.
Parkrun is apparently the 'in' thing at the moment - everybody is doing it. A second venue opened up in Oxford, at Harcourt Hill, only a few weeks ago, and there are runs at Abingdon-on-Thames and other nearby towns too. Each Parkrun depends on volunteers. These include timekeepers and marshals, as well as the tail-runner.
And how did Sam and co get on? I think the 3 of them were all safely back home in Jackson Road before I crossed the finish line.....
Anyway what I wanted to say is that on this particular Saturday - and it has taken me the 3 years since Oxford Parkrun began to reach the dizzy heights of being almost a centenarian - while I was chatting to a couple of cronies just before the start, I suddenly caught sight of a familiar face. And yes, you've guessed it - it was Sam, late of OISE Oxford office fame, and who I think were her two flatmates. All had chosen this chilly November day to make their Parkrun debuts. I had been joking with Sam for ages (i.e. virtually the whole of the 3 years) about running Parkrun - after all she lives even nearer than I do - but 9am has to date proved a little too early for her and her household. It transpired though that this time an alarm had been set and the three athletes from Jackson Road were - at last- assembled on the start line, ready for the 'off'.
For people who don't know, Parkrun is a relatively recent phenomenon. It began in a London Park a few years ago, and the format is so simple. Runs are always in a park, they're always 5k in length and always start at 9am. I believe this means local time, so runners in Melbourne will have long finished before we even think about starting in the old country. The other feature is that it's free: you just get a bar-code which gets clicked as you finish and so there's no nonsense about wearing numbers either. And it's very welcoming. We always give new runners a welcoming clap, and of course this time this included Sam and co., together with quite a few others. After the run Cutteslowe Park's kiosk is now open for a coffee (this is quite a new feature as the number of participants has gradually built up - I suppose 200 runners means quite a bit of potential business).
Although a few fast people show up, a really nice aspect is that nobody can be too slow for Parkrun. We have a lady who simply walks all the way, and we all give her a clap when she finishes. There is a tail-runner who always brings up the rear, and makes sure nobody gets lost.
Parkrun is apparently the 'in' thing at the moment - everybody is doing it. A second venue opened up in Oxford, at Harcourt Hill, only a few weeks ago, and there are runs at Abingdon-on-Thames and other nearby towns too. Each Parkrun depends on volunteers. These include timekeepers and marshals, as well as the tail-runner.
And how did Sam and co get on? I think the 3 of them were all safely back home in Jackson Road before I crossed the finish line.....
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