Parkrun back on in Boksburg
Event organisers were moved by the public support for the event held at the stadium, as well as all the others held in different parts of the city.
There were jubilant scenes at the Boksburg City Stadium as hundreds of runners and walkers took part in the first parkrun event since it was halted in March 2020, after the Covid-19 pandemic hit South Africa.
Runners have been allowed to return under the latest easing of Covid-19 restrictions, and Boksburg’s weekly events restarted on November 13.
According to one of the event organisers, Dwane Jackson, after more than 19 months without the weekly ritual in the area, 391 people took part in the 5km outdoor running event in the green spaces at the city’s stadium. They included families, friends and individual runners of all ages, who were thrilled to be getting their exercise in a more social setting again.
The fastest runners were in the 40-44 age group category and they finished in a little over 21minutes. Enie Manzini was first to cross the finish line when he completed his 5km park walk in 21 minutes and three seconds. Anthony Jansen van Rensburg was second to cross the line, as he completed in 21 minutes and five seconds.
Participants said they were excited to be returning to the weekly free running events, adding that it was quite uplifting and a really nice feeling being able to run with fellow residents cheering each other on again.
As with many other activities post-Covid, the first communal parkrun event on Saturday saw a drop in attendance compared to pre-coronavirus events. Jackson, however, said although participation might have fallen at the stadium, they were moved by the public support for the event at the stadium, as well as all the others held in different parts of the city.
He attributed the decreased numbers at the stadium to the fact that there were several similar events held at the same time in different parts of Boksburg and neighbouring towns. “Hosting the events in different venues allowed participants more options to choose from, as opposed to having all the runners at a single venue amid the pandemic.”
There were volunteers in place to ensure extra safety controls during the event.
The parkrun events, which have been going on for years and are usually held every Saturday morning (starting from 08:00), are described as a chance for residents, regardless of age or gender, to regularly run, jog or walk together to boost their physical and mental well-being while enjoying their local parks.
People can take part in many ways, including walking, jogging, running or joining a team of volunteers. It’s free, but you need to register beforehand and you are required to bring the printed copy of your barcode.
For more information on the parkrun events in your area, visit the Boksburg parkrun’s website or Facebook page. For help and enquiries, email at boksburg@parkrun.com.
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