As the fresh morning dew settled on the grass at the Boksburg City Stadium, the local team of parkrun volunteers was on site making sure that everything is in place to host the weekly 5km run.
With nearly 400 runners, joggers and walkers converging on the facility every Saturday morning, at least 25 volunteers are needed to ensure that everything is in place for a parkrun known for a joyful atmosphere.
Serving as the volunteer co-ordinator for the past 18 months, Brenda Steenkamp of Parkrand said that the Boksburg parkrun is unique because it has so many volunteers posted throughout the trail.
“We pride ourselves on having so many individuals on the route not only ensuring that our participants are safe and remain on course, but to cheer everyone on,” said Steenkamp.
“We try to get to know the names and faces to make everyone feel at home. Every participant’s progress or effort should be acknowledged.”
The parkrun SA initiative is aimed at creating a dedicated weekly running environment that is safe. The run is free, open to all ages and caters to various fitness levels.
All that is required is that participants are registered to be assigned a barcode. Barcodes are not area specific, which enables participants to visit other parkruns throughout the country.
“The barcodes are scanned at the finish line and participants can track their total runs, running times and personal bests on the website,” she said.
“Milestones such as 50, 100 and 250 runs are celebrated within our parkrun community before the start of every event. We do thrive on our participants’ milestones whether they are running for time or for walking the track.”
The success of any pakrun hinges on the efforts of those committed to working behind the scenes.
“We are a fantastic team. Many of us are active runners but opt to volunteer to give others the opportunity to enjoy the trail,” said Steenkamp.
“For many of our participants, this is their only weekly exercise due to work, home or financial constraints. For others, this is the only place and time that they feel safe to enjoy a workout. Overall it is great fun built on mutual respect, comradery and joy.”
She said that as with the participants, registered volunteers’ involvement is also celebrated as they reach their involvement milestones.
“I am appealing not only for more participants to enjoy our parkrun but for anyone willing to offer a couple of hours on a Saturday to sign up as a volunteer,” she said.
“Being able to ‘fatten’ our active volunteer database will enable us to create a rotational roster giving interested volunteers the opportunity to also take part in the run. Volunteers do not necessarily need to be runners, no training is required and all equipment is available.”
Learners from local schools are invited to sign up to accumulate community service hours.
For more information or to sign up as an active volunteer, contact Brenda on 082 550 3780.
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