"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm"
Running 250 parkruns in 5 years could be defined as enthusiasm. Some may say its dedication. I know there are those who consider it madness. But, what does it take to make someone achieve this feat and what does this mean for parkrun and parkrunners alike?
Let me introduce you to Darren Wood - if indeed an introduction is required. Darren ran the second ever parkrun in October 2004 in just under 25 minutes. I remember Darren in those days as he struggled to find his running legs as a novice runner. I recall some good days and some days when the wheels just fell off. He engaged the services of a good parkrun friend - Robin Drummond who helped him understand about his body and how it reacts to training.
In the past five years Darren has fallen in love with parkrun running it more than anyone else. He was the first person to achieve 100 parkruns and now he is the only person to achieve 250 parkruns. It's no surprise that he won the point's prize at Bushy in 2006. Darren's running has blossomed through his association with parkrun. Look at his record and you will see that for the past number of years he has seldom run over 20 minutes and more often than not he runs in the 19 minutes. Darren's fastest parkrun at 17:58 was run at Bushy Park at the anniversary in 2007.
Darren also volunteers at parkrun. He prioritises his running but finds a way to help too. Over the last few years Darren has been the kit custodian for Bushy Park getting to the event early and staying late which is even more impressive considering he lives 50 miles away. Darren's attitude is an example of so many of you and his achievement is worthy of the quote in the heading by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
So, there is a new parkrun club. The 250 Club. I'm hoping that this will be the pinnacle of parkrun clubs but I've been warned that Darren is now going for the 500 mark.
We were delighted to have all our sponsors at Bushy Park last Saturday to celebrate Darren's achievement and the introduction of the new club. While the weather was very unkind to us, we introduced Natasha Grainger from The London Marathon, Shona Hughes from Lucozade Sport, Hugh Brasher from the Sweatshop and Simon Charlesworth from Nike. Darren was presented with a number of gifts including the brand new 250 Club tee shirt (bling, bling - see the photo), a pair of running shoes of his choice, the Nike+ Sports Band and a voucher for Lucozade Sport products.
To crown the occasion, Ray Coward presented Darren with a certificate of his achievement signed by me.
I was personally very touched, humbled and proud to hear the words offered by Hugh about parkrun. In summary, Hugh compared the change in British running that came after his father's introduction of the London Marathon favourably with the change that parkrun has brought to running in the past 5 years.
While Natasha completed her first ever parkrun in splendid style, I was dragged around the course by Shona and Hugh while Simon jogged round with his one year old, Poppy. After the run we all gathered at the Pheasantry Cafe (everyone is welcome) where copious amounts of coffee and cake was consumed to round off a tremendous day and a huge achievement for both Darren and parkrun.
Thank you to our sponsors for sharing the occasion with us and for taking part alongside 531 of you and for their generous contributions to the 250 Club.
Well done Darren.
Keep Bushy and Richmond Parks Free - join the rally on 30th January
We have received the following communication regarding parking charges in the parks:
Combined rally at Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park starting at 10:30am
There is cross-party opposition against the likely introduction of parking charges in Bushy Park & Richmond Park.
Please join the rally on 30th January to show your opposition to the introduction of the parking charges.
In favour of the charges:
- Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture
NB: Margaret Hodge is MP for Barking. The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham allow free car parking in Barking Park.
Against the charges:
- Keep Bushy Park Free Alliance
- Comprising: Friends of Bushy & Home Parks; Hampton Wick Association; Teddington Society; Hampton Hill Association;
- Hampton Society; Molesey Residents' Association and the Strawberry Hill Residents' Association. These groups surround Bushy Park.
- The KBPF Alliance petition attracted approx 6500 signatures.
Twickenham Parliamentary Constituency (includes Bushy Park):
- Dr Vince Cable MP (Lib Dem)
- Brian Tomlinson (Labour Parliamentary Candidate)
- Deborah Thomas (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate)
Richmond Park Parliamentary Constituency:
- Susan Kramer MP (Lib Dem)
- Eleanor Tunnicliffe (Labour Parliamentary Candidate)
- Zac Goldsmith (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate)
The parks agency's own consultation showed 84% of respondents were against the parking charges.
Record attendances at parkrun events
Despite the poor conditions and a few event cancellations, the following events had records attendances last Saturday:
- Wimbledon Common - 173
- Richmond Park - 274
- Roundshaw Downs - 94
- Woodbank - 78
- Finsbury Park - 66
and it was a close run competition to see which of our two newest events could muster the most runners:
- Newcastle - 43
- Milton Keynes - 44
Congratulations to Gareth Snelson and his team at Milton Keynes and Niyc Pidgeon at Newcastle on the successful running first parkrun. Please be in touch with these teams if you can assist or would like to volunteer.
Opportunity for marathon runners
Jane Nodder is a member of the Mornington Chasers Running Club based in Kentish Town - London, a regular marathon runner and about to run her first parkrun in Finsbury Park this Saturday. She is also a Senior Lecturer and Clinic Tutor in nutritional therapy at the University of Westminster, London, and she is completing a research project as part of the requirements for the MSc Nutritional Medicine in the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, Guildford.
Jane's research will investigate the extent to which the dietary practices of club runners participating in the London Marathon 2010, meet guidelines for the composition of diets during training for endurance running events. The study will also identify key sources of nutritional information and knowledge amongst this group of athletes. Study participants will be involved in completing an on-line questionnaire and a 7-day Food & Training Diary during the period 22-28 March 2010. The outputs from her work will help to inform initiatives for improving the nutritional knowledge and practices of club level marathon runners.
If any parkrunner is interested they should contact Jane at nutriworks@aol.com
Feedback from the field
The true spirit of parkrun: - A special mention to Carmen Somerset and Hannah Musk who demonstrated the spirit of parkrun. Carmen and Hannah stopped to assist regular Roundshaw Downs runner Abbie who had stopped in distress as she came out of the woods on the first lap. Hannah gave Abbie her rain-top and persuaded her to carry on and complete the course. Well done to all.
Dear Sir
Little did I know when I got so hooked on running your fabulous Bromley parkrun back in September last year that not only would it help me to greatly improve my pb (in a local convenient and friendly setting and all for free!) but that just 4 months later I would be awarded a free pair of running shoes! A fabulous and unexpected reward and it's such a great incentive for us all to keep on running! Thank you so much I really do appreciate it. I have collected my shoes today and hope to get plenty of wear out of them as I m training for the London Marathon in April.
Keep up the great work!
Kind Regards
Georgina Selway
Dear parkrun,
Yesterday was my first ever parkrun - indeed, my first non-treadmill run in a number of years. Wasn't sure what to expect in terms of pace, terrain, how exhausted I would be, but I am pleased to have finished the race within a reasonable time. Really, really enjoyed myself - it was a great feeling to be walking back to my car at around a quarter past ten on a Saturday morning knowing I had a 5k under my belt. Set me up for the weekend. Magic!
Hats off to everyone who sets this up and shouts encouragement - it was really appreciated (especially half way through lap 2 when I was thinking about every individual stride I was taking - think I was counting at one point!). I am already looking forward to the next one - gonna try and get my time down! Superb set-up, great idea, smashing time!
Thanks
Brian
Hi Paul,
I'd like to thank the parkrun team and all of the sponsors for the wonderful gifts that I've received for completing my 250th parkrun. I had a wonderful morning despite the rain. It was great for each of the sponsors to attend in person and to present these gifts to me. Thanks again everyone.
I'd also like to thanks all of the volunteers who are out come rain or shine to make the events possible.
It seems unreal that I've been running this event for 5 years and that I started out running it in 25 mins and now run sub 20 mins each week, with a PB of 17:58.
I now look forward to many more years of running these events and the next milestone of 500.
Can you please pass this message on to all the team and the sponsors?
Many thanks,
Darren Wood
Hi there,
I wanted to thank everyone who managed to stage the race at Woodbank Park today (16th January).
The conditions were pretty bad and a lot of work was put in to prepare a safe route round the park.
The marshals were great standing out in the cold and making sure we were all safe.
So, thanks very much. All of us runners really appreciate the effort that everyone puts in to stage these events.
James Kemp
I would like you to pass on a big thank you to the organisers and helpers at Woodbank. Over the past 3 weeks they have somehow manage to find a way to allow the run to take place. It certainly was not the easy option. The extra work to make it happen must have been considerable. In a sense they were fortunate that there were options that meant they could find a safe route but they still had to make it happen. Their commitment deserves to be recognised.
Well done and thank you.
Regards
Chris Hammerton
Hi John
Can I take this opportunity to say how fantastic the parkrun is in hove and how lucky I feel that we have one in our city. I looked on the parkrun website and realise just how lucky we are when I noticed how few there are in the country! Everyone is so encouraging, it's a wonderful atmosphere.
I was a bit anxious about turning up the first time, especially as I have never really run anywhere before, but quickly realised that there were all sorts, shapes, sizes and abilities there and everyone was just having an enjoyable time round the course. The marshals are wonderful and do such a great job, they always have a smile and cheer of encouragement for us and it is now one of my favourite parts of the week i really look forward to it!!!
I have to admit that I am now totally hooked! Actually i am addicted, and train at least 4 times a week with one long run on Sundays! I have lost about 3 stone so far and i have lost count of the inches that are dropping off, but more importantly I feel so much more alive! I have more energy and optimism than I have had in years. It really has completely changed my life! I don't think I will every stop running now, not until I need my zimmerframe and even then i might give it a go!
I actually only started running due to the fact that in a moment of total madness i signed up to run the Brighton marathon for the local children's hospital charity - rockinghorse appeal. (My son was born with half his heart missing amongst other things, and we have spent an incredibly large amount of time in various hospitals getting him fixed. My husband and son come and support me every week and really enjoy seeing all the people having such a jolly time, in fact my son (aged 6 now) wants to join in! ... (not sure he will be doing a 5k run ever in his lifetime but he has the fighting spirit so we shall see!) I think I am very lucky in that I have taken to this like a duck to water. I only started in July and at the beginning was doing 10 steps running 10 steps walking for a total of 15 minutes, (and that practically killed me!!) since then I have run and run and run, clocking up the miles and can now comfortably run for over an hour at a pace of nearly 7/mph and even then I don't feel exhausted! I am very lucky as I have not suffered too much with injury. The first couple of months were hellish, it felt like hard work with lots aches and pains, and visits to the osteopath and I think if I had not been running for the marathon and my son, Alex I would have definitely given up, but then quite suddenly I reached a threshold where it became easy to run, and continue running and I no longer have to check my stopwatch every 5 minutes! Now I can run and it really is simply enjoyable and a pleasure and i itch to get out the next day for the next run! Rest days are a drag!
I also think that being able to do a timed run like this has really helped me chart and realise my progress which has seriously encouraged me to keep training hard. Please can you pass on my grateful thanks to all the team for giving up their time (and lie-in) on Saturdays in all weathers it really is truly appreciated!
Sonya
(This very personal tale is just another testament to the real parkrun spirit. We receive many stories every week and I am blessed to be among the first to read these. parkrun will always be what it is today, what it has always been, because of this kind of testament - Paul)
parkrunner of the week
Name: Richard Ward
Club: Belgrave Harriers
Age: 27
Home parkrun: Banstead Woods
Occupation: Auditor
Number of Runs: 67 more than my girlfriend wanted me to do at that time on a Saturday morning.
Number of times volunteered: Shamefully zero (although I do try and help with the little things like setting up at the start and collecting signs).
What do you do at parkruns: I compete with my arch nemesis Rachael Elliot for the top spot in the most wins table.
How has parkrun changed your running: In my younger days I used to run fairly seriously, but in the last few years I've had my fair share of injury problems. The parkrun series has allowed me to continue to enjoy a competitive element to my running when I've been at my most unfit.
What do you like about parkrun: Almost too many things to mention! Chris Phelan's motivational speeches at the start, the variety of courses, the simplicity of being able to turn up at whichever one you fancy, the friendly atmosphere, getting to the finish and the smug satisfaction of getting some exercise done while most people are still in bed.
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: On the few occasions I have managed to encourage my slightly lazy, older brother Andrew to come down to parkrun. When he runs he makes it his goal to be 'first woman'! He is always delighted when he manages to achieve this feat and it is always amusing to hear his subsequent bragging.
Happy Running!
Paul from parkrun
Crispy Corner
Phasing in Compulsory Barcodes (IF YOU READ ONLY ONE THING THIS WEEK...)
I have been repeating my request for some time now, for all runners to carry their personal barcodes with them on Saturdays. Some of the more far sighted among you will have seen this coming, but we are slowly starting the process of making barcodes compulsory at all events. Many of our newer events will have this policy from the start, some of the existing events are making plans to start the switchover, and others are delaying for a while, but will eventually switch over as well. So this will trigger three questions (probably more, but for the sake of rhetoric I’ll stick with three) – Why are we doing this? What does it mean to our runners? How do I get hold of my barcode?
Why are we doing this? - we now have a huge number of runners on our database, and it is no longer possible to uniquely identify everybody by name alone. It takes many of the administrators hours of work on Saturdays and throughout the week to resolve the problems caused by mis-identification; this problem is almost completely eliminated by barcode identification.
What does it mean to our runners? - If you are already using your personal barcode, nothing. Carry on bringing your barcode with you and use it to register your result after you run. If you have not been using your barcode, we urge you to get hold of yours as soon as possible, to cut out the credit card sized barcode, laminate it then bring it with you each time. Each event will decide when they will switch over to a fully barcoded system, and will communicate this to all their runners in person at the events and via their results emails and news pages. After this date everyone will still be able to run, but only those with barcodes will have their results recorded. This may seem mean, but we have been trying to get runners to use the system on a voluntary basis for some time, and not having much luck getting everybody to switch - sorry. The only possible exception to the no barcode - no result rule, will be if you can remember your athlete ID number (printed on each barcode and consisting of the letter A followed by up to 6 digits), but you should check that this is OK with your event organisers (preferably before the run, and definitely before you queue up to register. In time we hope to be able to provide the means to check your athlete ID before registering in these circumstances, but for the time being you should memorise your code, just in case.
How do I get hold of my barcode? - A link to each athletes personal barcode can be found in various places:
Those who have only registered recently, can find a link to the barcode in their initial email confirmation email.
In this weekly email version of the newsletter (it appears every week, at the top and bottom of this column) though not on the online version.
In the results email sent to all runners after they have run.
Most people will be able to simply print this page out, cut out the credit card sized code, laminate it and hey presto!, we have reports that a very small minority of people have had trouble printing the page out, however if you are able to print out pages from your internet browser, you should be able to print out the barcode. If you have problems we suggest you forward the mail containing the link to a friend, relative or colleague and get them to print it out for you.
Question 4 in my trilogy of questions – How else can parkrunners help? - Spread the word – good parkrunners help us to communicate our messages, and this is an important one. If you see someone without a barcode have a chat with them, explain how they can get hold of their barcode and explain this new policy. And if you overhear somebody saying "Oh it’s OK you don’t need a barcode", please put them on the right track.
If you do have any further questions on this topic (and I expect quite a few) I will be answering them in next week’s exciting instalment of Crispy Corner. As always, please email chris@parkrun.com and use the subject line "About Barcodes".
New Results System
I had meant to introduce the new results system in this week's column, but it’s already long enough. So I'll just say we are currently introducing a new results system on each event’s website. We are slowly rolling it out to each event, and until all events are up and running with it, for technical reasons, not all the old data will be available (although most will be). However, once complete, all existing data will return and we will be adding many new features.
Heroes of parkrun
And finally, the cold weather may have (almost) departed but the weather was absolutely foul around the country on Saturday, and I would like to say thank you and well done to each and every volunteer who braved the elements and made our events happen - you are all total stars!
Cheers and happy running
Crispy