Watch: Ebotse parkrun celebrates 10 years
It was started in 2012 by Iain Morshead and it was the 432nd Parkrun event at Ebotse.
Hundreds of runners arrived to celebrate the Ebotse parkrun’s 10th anniversary on June 18 at CR Swart Park.
Launched by Iain Morshead in 2012, it was the 432nd parkrun event held at the picturesque Ebotse Golf and Country Estate, in Rynfield.
This parkrun was the third of its kind in South Africa after the first event at Delta Park in 2011 and then the Roodepoort parkrun.
Parkrun was introduced to South Africans by ultra-marathoner Bruce Fordyce and his wife Jill in 2011, following their visit to the UK. This is where Bruce participated in the Bushy Park parkrun.
Fordyce’s daughter Cara, who was at the Ebotse celebration, said her parents brought the idea to South Africa to bring communities together.
“We have 195 events across South Africa, including Namibia and Eswatini. Parkrun is community-driven. We’ve removed all the boundaries. It’s free, that’s why we don’t ask for any money. We only ask for volunteers because every event is for the community.”
Morshead, now living in Australia, told the City Times that the idea came about because he wanted to get people active and involved in running.
“I heard about the concept and as I had been running for a long time, I thought it was a wonderful way of giving back to the community. I then approached Bruce to look if we could not do the parkrun in Ebotse.
“We are fortunate in South Africa to have beautiful spaces but often people are too scared to come out and walk in our parks because they fear for their safety. Parkrun opens up these spaces for people to enjoy.”
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He said due to a lack of inclusiveness in road running, they wanted to establish a family-orientated and fun event.
“One of the big drivers was to see families running together. I’m from a road-running background and it’s not family-orientated. I wanted to see a granny and grandchild walking together because that’s the success of the parkrun. The other success is that last person coming in. That person is what parkrun is all about.”
Gary Jackson, Ebotse parkrun event director, said due to the numbers the parkrun attracted, the event gave birth to other parkruns around Benoni and the East Rand.
“We had 79 runners when we started. At one point we had 1 382 participants, it was too much. Because the fields were getting bigger, they opened smaller parkruns in Atlasville and at Homestead Dam, hoping the fields will get smaller but the opposite happened.”
Jackson thanked the volunteers for their dedication and also the Ebotse Golf Course and Country CEO, Stephan Vorster, for allowing them to use the estate.
Parkrun director, Chintan Patel said the beauty of the Ebotse Estate makes their parkrun attractive.
“This is quite a popular parkrun. We try to make it a fun event. A lot of people come here for various reasons – be it fitness or just for fun.”
Tracy Rankin is a legend of parkrun. She ran in the first event in Delta Park and thus far has completed 493 parkruns and ran in 271 events across the country. She told the paper she has since run in four Comrades Marathons, something she would never have done if it were not for parkrun.
She said besides the health benefits, parkrun had a positive impact on her life.
“Everyone is accepted, whether you are fast, slow, big or small. People who would never go to a running event because of the pressure in road running can participate in park run because there’s no pressure. You get your results after every run and so it’s always all about improving your personal best.”
Also Read: The Ebotse parkrun is back
